Thousands of Gazans tread home as Israel withdraws after truce hiccup

Tens of thousands of Palestinians streamed along the main roads leading north in Gaza on Monday after Hamas agreed to hand over three Israeli hostages later this week and Israeli forces began to withdraw from a main corridor across the enclave.

A mass of people, some holding infants in their arms or carrying bundles of belongings on their shoulders, headed north on foot, along a road running by the Mediterranean Sea shore.

“It’s like I was born again and we were victorious again,” said Palestinian mother, Umm Mohammed Ali, part of the miles-long throng that processed slowly up the coastal road. Witnesses said the first residents arrived in Gaza City in the early morning after the first crossing point opened at 0500 GMT.

Hamas officials and ordinary Gazans have rejected a suggestion from US President Trump that Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from the war-ravaged enclave.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, residents of northern Gaza were due to return at the weekend. But Israel said that Hamas had broken the deal by failing to release civilian female hostage Arbel Yehud and kept its forces in the Netzarim corridor that cuts across the enclave south of Gaza City. Qatari mediators resolved the dispute after Hamas agreed to release Yehud, a female soldier Agam Berger and another hostage on Thursday.