Thousands of displaced Gazans return to homes as cease-fire begins
Scores of displaced Palestinians walk along a road in the Saftawi area of Jabalia, as they leave areas near Gaza City where they had taken refuge, toward the further northern part of the Gaza Strip, on January 19, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Thousands of displaced Gazans carrying tents, clothes and belongings began heading to their homes Sunday after a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect after over 15 months of war.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists saw Palestinians traveling by truck, donkey cart, and on foot back to their homes through devastated swathes of Gaza, particularly in the northern parts of the Palestinian territory.
On Sunday, Jan. 19, displaced Palestinians began returning to their homes in the Gaza Strip as the Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect.
Cease-fire delayed and took effect at 09.15 GMT
Earlier late Wednesday evening, Qatar announced a three-phase ceasefire agreement to end over 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, with the ceasefire set to take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) on Sunday.
The cease-fire was delayed and took effect at 11.15 a.m. local time (0915GMT) after Israel accused Hamas of delaying the release of a list of Israeli captives set to be released on Sunday.
Hamas said that it already submitted a list of three female Israeli captives set to be freed on Sunday.
Nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 110,700 injured by Israel in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
