Image source, Reuters

Hamas says the return of Gazans to northern Gaza is a victory against "plans for displacement".

"The return of the displaced is a victory for our people and signals the failure and defeat of the plans for occupation and displacement," the militant group said as the Netzarim Corridor opened earlier today.

Hamas's ally, Islamic Jihad, called it a "response to all those who dream of displacing our people".

Late on Sunday night in Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the opening of the corridor came after Hamas "backtracked" on the release of hostage Arbel Yehud.

"Hamas has backtracked and will carry out an additional phase of releasing hostages this Thursday [30 January]," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on X.

• You can read more about Arbel Yehud in our earlier post here

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, reporting from Cairo

Image source, Getty Images

Joy was mixed with profound pain today as thousands of Palestinians were finally allowed to cross from southern Gaza to the north.

It was a moment some had awaited for more than a year. But they were soon met with the shocking reality of widespread destruction across many neighbourhoods.

In northern and western parts of Gaza City, some areas resemble places hit powerful earthquakes.

For the past few days, I have followed the stories of two families waiting at the checkpoint. One of them, Mohammed Imad Al-Din, a barber, was eagerly anticipating his return home.

But upon arriving, he told me over the phone that he found his house completely burned down and his beauty salon looted by thieves, later damaged further by an Israeli airstrike on a nearby building.

Image source, Reuters

Another person I followed is Lubna Nassar, who, along with her two daughters and son, waited anxiously at the long checkpoint queue to reunite with her husband in northern Gaza.

She managed to return, only to discover her husband living in a tent after their home was destroyed.

"The warmth of reunion was overshadowed by the bitter reality," she says. "We no longer have a home so we moved from a tent in the south to a tent in the north."

According to a Hamas authority official, Gaza City will need over 150,000 tents to shelter those who have returned or are expected to arrive in the coming days.

But despite the devastation, this remains a significant moment for the displaced families who endured months of suffering in southern Gaza.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, Getty Images

While tens of thousands of people are beginning the journey home today, we have spoken to others who have decided to wait.

"We are currently in Khan Younis [in the south of the Gaza Strip]. I’m originally from Jabalia [in the north]," says 55-year-old Khaled Raba.

"We were planning to move but my relatives who are still in Jabalia called me and said they don’t advise me to come back.

"My brother called and said not to come. The houses are demolished to the ground. People are sleeping on the streets and nobody is helping them.”

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, reporting from Cairo

Image source, Reuters

The process of allowing vehicles to move from southern Gaza to the north is proceeding very slowly, according to a Palestinian security official familiar with the procedures.

Coordination involves contacting a Hamas-run Palestinian police checkpoint located approximately 300 metres from the inspection area, where permission is granted for 20 vehicles at a time to proceed to a designated area equipped with two scanners.

Every 40 minutes, 20 vehicles are scanned and allowed to pass.

Teams from the Red Cross, along with American and Egyptian personnel, are present at the site, while the Israeli army monitors the process from a short distance.

However, the pace of entry remains extremely slow. For the thousands of vehicles lined up in a long queue awaiting permission to return to northern Gaza, the process could take several days.

We can now bring you drone footage from the coastal road in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians are walking north.

As a reminder, the Netzarim Corridor opened to pedestrians at 07:00 (05:00 GMT), with a separate route for cars opening at 09:00 (07:00 GMT).

Image source, Reuters

A Palestinian mother tells Reuters news agency it feels like she is "born again" as she makes her way home to northern Gaza through the costal road.

“We are very happy to be back to our land, to our homeland, and to Gaza [City]," she says.

"Praise be to God, it is true that we got tired, but in the end we were victorious. Thank you to the fighters... Thank God, it's like I was born again and we were victorious again."

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Ali Hassouna is taking down his tent in the southern city of Khan Younis, ready to return to his home in the north.

"We started dismantling our tents after we heard that people were being allowed through the checkpoint," the 26-year-old says.

"We’re trying to take as much of our stuff as we can – as you know, we left our houses with nothing so we need to take as much stuff here as we can back.

"We don’t know how long the journey will take, it could be today, it could be tomorrow [that they arrive home]. It’s going to be a lot of effort. I hope God gives us strength."

Image source, Bring Them Home Now forum

As Gazans return to homes in the north, we've just heard from the family of Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud.

Yehud, 28, was expected to be released in an exchange on Saturday.

But after a row between Israel and Hamas - which led to Israel delaying the return of Palestinians to the north - Yehud will now be handed over to the Red Cross along with two other captives on Thursday.

In a statement, the hostage's family says: "We are living through complex, emotional, and nerve-wracking days.

"We yearn for the moment when we can embrace our Arbel again, and desperately pray for the return of all the hostages."

It's just over three hours since residents were allowed to return to the northern Gaza Strip on foot, and an hour since the checkpoint opened to cars.

Crowds are moving slowly through north the Netzarim Corridor, as these latest pictures show.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

A displaced Palestinian woman heading from a camp in central Gaza to her home in the north has just spoken to our colleagues on BBC Newsday.

Ghada Oudah, a journalist, is planning to reunite with her two daughters, who she has not seen for a year.

"I've been waiting for this moment for more than 15 months," she says. "When I saw this scene in front of my eyes I started to cry.

"It's like a dream come true... I'm planning to return to north Gaza as soon as possible because we don't trust the ceasefire agreement."

Despite her excitement, Oudah says her home is "partially destroyed", but says the most important thing is seeing her daughters again.

And, with huge queues already backed up at the Netzarim Crossing, Oudah accepts that her journey will take some time.

"I have to go on my feet and it's a long distance, more than 15 kilometres, and it's hundreds, thousands of people returning."

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, EPA

We’ve just heard from a 24-year-old from Gaza City - which is north of the Israeli checkpoint - who is among the thousands of people beginning their journeys back to their homes today.

Israa Shaheen, a journalism graduate, set off about 15 minutes ago from the central city of Deir al-Balah, where she was displaced.

"So far everything is good," she tells us.

"There are no problems. There are a lot of people on the streets and we hope it continues this way, God willing."

Image source, Bring Them Home Now forum

As we’ve been reporting, the return of thousands of Palestinians to northern Gaza comes two days later than anticipated, following a row over Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud.

Yehud - a civilian - was taken from her home in Nir Oz in southern Israel during the 7 October attacks. It is thought the 28-year-old is being held by the group Islamic Jihad.

Her boyriend Ariel Cunio was also kidnapped and is believed to still be in Gaza alongside his brother David, who was also taken in October 2023.

Yehud’s brother, Dolev Yehud, was also presumed to have been taken hostage, but was later declared dead by Israeli authorities after his remains were identified.

According to the ceasefire deal, Yehud should have been among the first two groups of hostages released by Hamas.

But on Saturday, Hamas instead handed over four soldiers - Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag - prompting Israel to prevent Gazans from heading north through the Netzarim Corridor.

Now, Hamas has reportedly shown proof of life to mediators, and Yehud is expected to be delivered to the Red Cross with two other hostages on Thursday.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, Reuters

We’ve been speaking to displaced Gazans this weekend, asking them what they expected to find when they returned north.

"I want to go to my house and my land that I got raised in. My joy is being in my house - whether it’s standing or demolished," said 42-year-old Nirmeen Musabeh, who has been displaced since 11 October 2023.

"We don’t know what we will see except the wounds, but we need to go there. We need to go back."

Diab, a man displaced from Jabalia, said he was hoping to search for his sons and others who stayed behind.

"If anyone got killed or is still under the rubble, we want to take them out," he said.

"We want to go back to see what is left of the infrastructure and whether we can survive there or not.

"People are saying that with the level of destruction, there are no landmarks remaining. I want to see this with my own eyes."

Another man told us he expected to find mass destruction - but still wanted to "kiss the dirt of the north".

Image source, Reuters

The Israeli military's Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, earlier gave timings for the return of Palestinians to north Gaza:

• Residents were allowed to return on foot to the northern Gaza Strip "via the Netzarim Road and through Rashid Street (the sea road) starting at 07:00" (05:00 GMT)
• Vehicles will be allowed to move to the northern sector "after inspection" from 09:00 (07:00 GMT)
• "The transfer of militants or weapons via these routes to the northern Gaza Strip will be considered a breach of the agreement," Adraee says

Long queues formed this morning near the Netzarim Corridor, as thousands of displaced Palestinians hoped to return to their homes in the north.

Israel allowed people to pass on foot from 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) - with cars due to be allowed to travel north from 09:00 (07:00 GMT).

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Jerusalem

It’s thought well over half a million Palestinians in southern Gaza have been waiting to return to see what’s left of their homes in the North.

Israel says that can now happen. But it looks chaotic.

On the main road heading north, thousands of families who have camped at the gate for days have begun moving on foot laden with whatever possessions they can carry.

But with much of northern Gaza in ruins after intense Israeli bombardment, many will discover they don’t have homes to go to.

Israel agreed to allow people to move north after Hamas said it would release three hostages on Thursday, including a 28-year-old civilian, Arbel Yehud.

It’s thought she is being held by the group Islamic Jihad. A further three hostages will be released on Saturday in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning to northern Gaza this morning, after being delayed by a dispute between Hamas and Israel.

Palestinians had been scheduled to travel north of the Netzarim Corridor on Saturday. Huge crowds gathered over the weekend, waiting to pass through the seven kilometre (4.3 miles) strip of land controlled by Israel that cuts off north Gaza from the rest of the territory.

But Israel stopped Palestinians from passing the corridor after Hamas failed to release civilian hostage Arbel Yehud on Saturday.

Israel and Hamas have now reached an agreement for Yehud and two other hostages to be released on Thursday, with Hamas delivering proof that Yehud is alive to Egyptian mediators.

At 07:00 in Gaza (05:00 GMT) we began to see pictures of thousands of Palestinians returning north - stay with us for updates, images, and analysis throughout the day.