Displaced Gazans cross the Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip into Gaza City on January 27, 2025.
Thousands of Palestinians began to return to the heavily destroyed north of the Gaza Strip for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month Israeli war under a fragile ceasefire sealed on 19 January.
On Sunday, the Israeli army announced it "will allow residents to return on foot to the northern Gaza Strip via Netzarim Road and Rashid Street (the coastal road) starting at 7:00 am local time."
It further noted that vehicles will be allowed to travel to the northern Gaza Strip after inspection via Salah Al-Din Road, beginning at 9:00am (local time).
On Monday morning, a statement from the Hamas-affiliated Ministry of Interior Operations in Gaza clarified that vehicle movement on Salah Al-Din Road "will not take place without prior communication with the Egyptian side."
It also confirmed that the "Egyptian side will be present on Salah al-Din Road between 7:00 and 8:00 am to prevent any issues and ensure coordination between them and our security services."
"The movement of vehicles will not commence without an official signal from our Egyptian brothers and mediators, as this enemy cannot be trusted,” it added.
Earlier, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israeli army forces have begun withdrawing from the Netzarim corridor, which separates the southern and northern parts of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army established the Netzarim corridor at the start of its ground operation in Gaza on 27 October 2023.
Residents of northern Gaza were due to return at the weekend per the ceasefire deal. However, Israel put that on hold because of female Israeli captive Arbel Yehud, who Israel said should have been released on Saturday.
On Sunday evening, Qatar said Hamas would release Yehud and two other captives before Friday and that Israel would, in return, allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning.
Under the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, around 650,000 Palestinians in the central and southern Gaza Strip will be allowed to return to their homes in the north.
This ceasefire is aimed at ending the 15-month Israeli genocidal war and releasing Israelis still held in Gaza in return for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Its first phase runs until early March and includes the release of 33 Israelis and nearly 2,000 Palestinians, while the second — which is far more difficult — has yet to be negotiated.
Israel's brutal war on Gaza has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
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