Thousands of Palestinians Blocked from Returning Home to Gaza

Following a week-long ceasefire, thousands of Palestinians remain stranded outside their homes in Gaza. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the agreement and has refused to open crossing points, leaving many frustrated and uncertain.

Displaced Palestinians have gathered along roads, hoping to return home. Vehicles are overloaded with belongings, and volunteers are distributing food and water.

"People are fed up and they want to go home," said Tamer Al-Burai, a displaced person. "This is the deal that was signed, isn't it?"

Under the agreement, Israel was supposed to allow displaced Palestinians to return home. However, Israel claims Hamas has not provided a list of hostages or handed over a civilian woman taken hostage. As a result, checkpoints remain closed.

Hamas has accused Israel of stalling and holding it responsible for the delay. Mediators are working to resolve the dispute.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian man was killed and seven people, including a child, were wounded by Israeli fire overnight. Israel has pulled back from some areas but warns people to stay away from its forces, which are still operating in a buffer zone.

The ceasefire was reached after negotiations aimed to end the 15-month war and free hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Around 90 hostages are still being held in Gaza, and the first phase of the ceasefire includes the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The second phase, which involves the release of the remaining hostages, has yet to be negotiated.

Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war, while Israel has threatened to resume its offensive until Hamas is destroyed.

The 7 October attack by Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 people. More than 100 were freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023.

Israel's military campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israeli forces have also destroyed much of Gaza's infrastructure, displacing around 90% of its population. Many who have returned to their homes since the ceasefire began have found only mounds of rubble where their neighbourhoods once stood.

New US president Donald Trump suggested on Saturday that most of Gaza's population should be resettled elsewhere, including in Egypt and Jordan. However, Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinians themselves have previously rejected such a scenario.