Israel has permitted the return of displaced people to the northern part of the territory following an agreement for an extraordinary exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, scheduled

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning home to northern Gaza on Monday, bracing for what awaits them in a region that has been reduced to rubble by months of brutal bombardment and fighting.

Along the coastal Rashid Street, the scene resembled a flood—with waves upon waves of families carrying their belongings and rushing to return to their homes.