Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians were walking towards their homes in northern Gaza on Monday, nearly 16 months after they were forced to flee at the start of Israel’s military offensive. A column of people that stretched for miles marched north along Gaza’s coastal road, many carrying their few possessions on their heads, on makeshift carts and in plastic bags slung over their backs.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remained in place after it appeared to falter over the weekend, but it was unclear what the displaced Gazans would be returning to. As they began arriving in Gaza City, in the north of the territory, they confronted a wasteland of rubble after the Israeli military destroyed whole neighbourhoods and Hamas booby-trapped many buildings.

Many of those returning had spent the war sheltering in tents, after Israel ordered roughly a million people to flee northern Gaza in October 2023 ahead of its military invasion and then prevented their return. On Monday, some used bikes, wheelchairs and trolleys to carry their belongings. One man attached wheels to a plastic box, turning it into a makeshift stroller for a baby.

On Saturday, Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers who had been taken hostage on October 7, 2023. Israel, in turn, handed over 200 Palestinian prisoners. But on Sunday, their week-old truce appeared to waver. Israel said it would delay the return of displaced people to northern Gaza, as required by the ceasefire agreement, partly because Hamas had reneged on a plan to release Arbel Yehud, a female Israeli civilian who was seized during the Hamas-led assault on Israel in October 2023.

After hours of tense negotiations, the two sides reached a new agreement late on Sunday under which Hamas would hand over Yehud, along with other hostages, by the end of the week. In exchange, Israeli forces began allowing displaced Palestinians to move north on Monday morning, opening the coastal road to people on foot and a second, interior road to vehicles.

Yasmin Abu Amshah, a mother of three, said she walked 6 km to reach her home in Gaza City, where she found it damaged but still habitable. She also saw her younger sister for the first time in over a year. “It was a long trip, but a happy one,” she said. “The most important thing is that we returned.”

Many saw their return as an act of steadfastness after Israel’s military campaign. The return was also seen as a repudiation of US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that large numbers of Palestinians be resettled in Egypt and Jordan.

Ismail Abu Matter, a father of four who waited for three days near the crossing point before moving north with his family, described scenes of jubilation on the other side, with people singing, praying and crying.

“It’s the joy of return,” said Abu Matter, whose relatives were among the thousands of Palestinians whowere driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war. “We had thought we wouldn’t return, like our ancestors.” The opening was delayed for two days over a dispute between Hamas and Israel, which said the militant group changed the order of the hostages it released.

New York Times News Service and AP