Gaza, Jan 27 (IANS): Tens of thousands of Palestinians began returning to their homes in Gaza City and the northern parts of the coastal enclave on Monday after 15 months of forced displacement.
The return follows an announcement by Qatar on Sunday evening that Hamas and Israel had reached an agreement to release Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud and two others by Friday.
On Saturday, Hamas is expected to release three additional hostages.
Under the agreement, Israel has permitted displaced residents to return to the northern Gaza Strip starting Monday morning.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Monday, "Hamas has conceded and agreed to proceed with an additional phase of hostage releases, scheduled for next Thursday following firm and determined negotiations."
The statement outlined that this phase will involve the release of Yehud, a soldier called Agam Berger, and another hostage. Additionally, three more hostages are set to be freed on Saturday as part of the agreement.
Israel has also received from Hamas a list detailing the conditions and status of all hostages to be released in the initial phase of the deal.
For many displaced families, the journey back to northern Gaza is bittersweet. While there is relief at the prospect of returning to familiar surroundings, there is also apprehension about what remains of neighborhoods now reduced to rubble.
"We have to walk about 8 kilometers on foot, but we are happy that, finally, we will be able to return to our areas, even if they are completely destroyed," said Mohammed Hamda, a Gaza resident, while making his way along the coastal route between Gaza City and southern Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office had said in a statement on Saturday that Israel will not allow Palestinian residents to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip for the time being.
The statement noted that the ban will apply until the release of Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud, who was scheduled to be freed on Saturday but was not among the four Israelis released by Hamas, is arranged.
The statement had mentioned that Yehud's release in the second swap of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners was part of the deal that went into effect last week.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas released the four female Israeli soldiers Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy, and they arrived at an Israeli military camp near the Gaza border in good health.
The army observers, aged between 19 and 20, were abducted by Hamas from the Israeli army's surveillance base at Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Gaza Strip border.