Hamas delivers list of Israeli captives to be released, Palestinians hail 'victory' in north Gaza

Tens of thousands of Palestinians walked on foot towards northern Gaza on Monday, ending more than a year of displacement from their homes by Israeli forces who had barred their return.

Israel ended its block on Palestinians returning north after it agreed a deal with Hamas on the release of Israeli captive Arbel Yehoud. Israel had accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire's terms by not releasing Yehoud along with other civilians, while the group holding her — Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) — said she was a soldier and therefore should be exchanged for a greater number of Palestinian detainees.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that the two parties had reached an agreement in which Yehuod, soldier Agam Berger and another captive would be released on Thursday, with another three to be released on Saturday. Hamas also agreed to provide a list of captives who will be released in the current phase of the ceasefire, with one official from the group telling Reuters that a list of 25 of 33 names had been delivered on Monday.

In exchange, Israel agreed to allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza and said it would deliver a list of 400 Palestinians detained since October 2023.

The agreement appears to have preserved the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which has seen a level of continued violence by Israeli forces. On Sunday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians and wounded seven others in two separate incidents in central Rafah and west of the Nuseirat refugee camp, medics said.

'Victory' against Israeli plans to displace Palestinians

Hamas hailed the return of Gazans to the north as a "victory" against Israeli plans to displace Palestinians forcibly. Amid the 15 months of war, voices within the Israeli military and government called for a complete expulsion of Palestinians from northern Gaza for the creation of a buffer zone, while others urged Israeli settlement of the area.

The idea of clearing Palestinians from Gaza was also floated in recent days by US President Donald Trump, who suggested they could be expelled to Egypt or Jordan.

"The return of the displaced is a victory for our people, and signals the failure and defeat of the plans for occupation and displacement," Hamas said, while Islamic Jihad called it a "response to all those who dream of displacing our people".

In Israel, meanwhile, former national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed the deal as a "defeat" and reiterated his and other Israeli hardliners' call for a return to war.

"The opening of the Netzarim axis this morning and the return of tens of thousands of Gaza residents to the northern Gaza Strip is a clear victory for Hamas," Ben-Gvir said on X.

"This is another humiliating part of an irresponsible deal. These are not the features of an absolute victory, but rather a complete surrender."

Bittersweet return

Images posted to social media on Monday showed droves of people walking with their belongings on the Al-Rashid road along the Mediterranean Sea. Some waved Palestinian flags, while 

Israel agreed to allow Palestinians to return to the north at first on foot, with vehicles being permitted later in the day.

The return to northern Gaza comes after 15 months of devastating war on the enclave, with Israel encircling and besieging the north since October.

Entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed and civilian infrastructure devastated by Israeli bombing, with many fearing what they will see when they arrive home.

One returnee, Abeer Abu Al-Khair, told The New Arab's Arabic-language service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, of her joy at being allowed to return home, but also the sense of trepidation about the time and costs required to fix her apartment.

"But our joy at returning will make us forget all the pain," Abu Al Khair said.