GAZA / JERUSALEM / CAIRO - 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 early 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.
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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.
Meanwhile, Egypt rejected on Sunday any infringement on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their displacement from their lands, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry firmly rejects any actions that infringe upon these rights, including settlement expansion, land annexation, and the forced displacement of Palestinians, the statement said.
It also condemns policies aimed at transferring or uprooting Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or permanently, as these actions destabilize the region and hinder the prospects for peace, it said.
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It stresses Egypt's unwavering commitment to the constants and determinants of the Palestinian issue's political settlement, and its continued support for the steadfastness of the Palestinians on their land and their adherence to their legitimate rights.
The Palestinian issue remains central to the Middle East, it said, adding that delaying its resolution, ending the occupation, and restoring the Palestinian people's usurped rights fuels regional instability.
It calls upon the international community to actively work towards implementing the two-state solution, including the establishment of a Palestinian state on its entire national territory, encompassing both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, under international legitimacy resolutions and the 1967 borders.
The statement came after US President Donald Trump proposed on Saturday to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan.
Hamas also rejected Trump's proposal, describing it as an "aggressive scheme" aimed at displacing Palestinians and undermining their national cause.
The militants said in a statement that the Palestinian people, who have endured "genocide and forced displacement" by the "Israeli occupation, particularly in northern Gaza, remain committed to their land and historical rights."
"The Palestinians will not accept any plans that seek to uproot or displace them," Hamas said.
Hamas also called on the US administration to cease its support for Israeli policies that infringe on Palestinian rights.
