Israeli forces have pulled out from the Netzarim Corridor, a military zone that had divided northern and southern Gaza.
Following the withdrawal, hundreds of Palestinians, traveling in cars and carts loaded with belongings, began returning to northern Gaza, only to find widespread devastation.
The pullout aligns with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached on January 19, under which 21 Israeli hostages and 566 Palestinian prisoners have been released so far.
By the end of the ceasefire’s first phase in three weeks, a total of 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to be freed. Israel has confirmed that eight of the 33 hostages are deceased.
The war began after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
At least 48,189 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. About two-thirds of Gaza's buildings have been damaged or destroyed by Israel's attacks, the UN says.
About 700,000 residents of northern Gaza fled to southern areas at the start of the war, when the Israeli military issued mass evacuation orders before launching a ground invasion of the Palestinian territory.
Many of those displaced were subsequently forced to move multiple times after Israeli forces pushed into southern Gaza, too.
They were also prevented from returning to their homes through the Netzarim Corridor, stretching from the Gaza-Israel border to the Mediterranean Sea.
Israeli forces partially withdrew from the west of the corridor last month and the first Palestinians - pedestrians - were allowed to walk along the coastal Rashid Street as they crossed into northern Gaza.
Those on vehicles have to use Salah al-Din Street and undergo screening for weapons by US and Egyptian security contractors.
The Israel Defense Forces have not officially commented on Sunday's withdrawal from the eastern part of the corridor, which will leave it in control of Gaza's borders, but not the road that had cut it in half.
The Haaretz newspaper says the Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry has been urging people to "exercise caution and adhere to the existing movement guidelines for their safety".
Source: BBC
BDST: 2103 HRS, FEB 09, 2025
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