Palestinians begin return to north Gaza as deal reached to free six hostages

Palestinians began returning to northern Gaza after Israel said it had reached an agreement with Hamas for the release of six hostages, including the controversial civilian, Alber Yehud.

Hamas released four soldiers on Saturday but did not release Ms. Yehud. Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, which stipulated that Israeli civilians be released first in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Since the ceasefire went into effect, seven hostages and nearly 300 prisoners have been released.

Footage showed thousands of displaced Palestinians heading north, having previously gathered at a military barrier that had blocked their progress two days earlier. The ceasefire and hostage and prisoner release agreement took effect on January 19, and two exchanges have now been completed. According to the agreement, Hamas will release Ms. Yehud and two other hostages on Thursday, and another three hostages on Saturday, as announced by Netanyahu and the Qatari side who mediated the talks.

Israel will allow Palestinians to move north starting on Monday, and will release more Palestinian prisoners later in the week. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Palestinians were originally scheduled to be allowed to pass north of the Netzarim Corridor on Saturday, a 7km (4.3 mile) strip of land controlled by Israel that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the territory. Earlier images showed large crowds waiting to pass.

"We slept in the street," Nireen Musabeh told the BBC at a checkpoint on Sunday, "We can't go home, every time we try to go home, they shoot at us." The 42-year-old woman is from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, but she originally lived in Shejaiya in the south. Diab Shekhbari said he had been waiting at the checkpoint since 20:30 local time (18:30 GMT) on Saturday. "All night the children were screaming because of the cold - we lit fires and covered them with blankets," he said.

Israel said it would allow residents to return to northern Gaza from 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Monday, and vehicles two hours later, after the dispute over Ms. Yehud was resolved. Qatari and Egyptian mediators were involved in efforts to end the dispute, and they have been negotiating between Israel and Hamas. The announcement came shortly before the Israeli Prime Minister announced the breakthrough by a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman.

Israel had demanded mediators provide proof from Hamas that Ms. Yehud was still alive. The evidence appears to have been provided to the Egyptians as early as Saturday evening, the BBC understands. Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he wanted Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians from Gaza, describing Gaza as a "demolition site". Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have condemned the idea, while Jordan and Egypt have also rejected the proposal.

The January ceasefire agreement halted the war that began with the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken back to Gaza as hostages. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says that more than 47,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, mostly civilians.