Tens of thousands of Palestinians Wait to Return to Homes in Northern Gaza as Israel Refuses to Open Crossing Points
Tens of thousands of Palestinians waited at roadblocks to return to their homes in northern Gaza on Sunday, frustrated after Israel accused Hamas of breaching a ceasefire agreement and refused to open crossing points. The holdup underscored the risks hanging over the truce between the militant group and Israel, longtime adversaries in a series of Gaza wars.
Under the agreement worked out with Egyptian and Qatari mediators and backed by the U.S., Israel was meant to allow Palestinians displaced from the north to return to their homes. However, Israel said that Hamas’ failure to hand over a list detailing who of the hostages scheduled for release were alive, as well as an Israeli woman taken hostage from her kibbutz home during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, meant it had violated the agreement.
As a result, checkpoints in central Gaza would not be opened to allow crossings into the north, Israel said in a statement. Hamas blamed Israel for the delay and accused it of stalling. Mediators were holding intensive talks to resolve the dispute and see the Israeli woman freed earlier than the next scheduled swap on Saturday.
Many of those waiting to return to their homes have no idea whether their houses are still standing, but they want to go regardless, wanting to put up tents next to the rubble of their homes and feel a sense of home. Cars, trucks, and rickshaws were overloaded with mattresses, food, and tents that served as shelters for over a year for those in the central and southern areas of the enclave.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who posed a threat to its troops, and one Palestinian was killed and 15 others wounded by Israeli fire. The military said it had fired warning shots at suspects who posed a threat to its troops.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Israel on Wednesday to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, according to Israel’s Channel 13. Trump has also called on Egypt and Jordan to take on more Palestinians from Gaza either temporarily or permanently, and has suggested “clearing out the whole thing.” However, many Palestinians reject this proposed solution, saying they will not accept any offers or solutions that involve being permanently displaced from their homes.
