Thousands of displaced Palestinians have been prevented from returning to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip, after Israel blocked a main road, accusing Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
The dispute occurred after Hamas released four women Israeli soldiers – and Israel released 200 Palestinian prisoners.
But the Israeli government said that the inhabitants of Gaza are not allowed to travel north as long as plans are not put in place for the release of the Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud. Hamas insisted that she was alive and that she would be released next week.
According to the agreement, Hamas was to release civilians before the soldiers.
Saturday evening, when the crowd gathered along the road to Al-Rashid, in the center of Gaza, to go home, shots were said to have been fired.
The Reuters news agency, citing the Ministry of Health led by Hamas, and the Palestinian media reported that a person had been killed and several injured.
Four shots can be heard in a video of the incident that would have been published online. BBC VERIFY authenticated the location of the images, but the BBC has not been able to independently check the information reporting a victim.
Israeli defense forces (FDI) said that their troops in the Gaza center had fired after “several gatherings of dozens of suspects were identified and constituted a threat to forces”.
“Contrary to the information that appeared in recent hours, all the shootings in the area have been carried out for the purpose of distancing and not against injuries. We emphasize that at this stage, no one injured among the suspects was reported. Result of the result of The shooting.
Earlier on Saturday, Muhammad Emad al-Din was one of the thousands of people waiting to return home, north of Gaza.
“I know that my house could be destroyed, but I will plant a tent on its remains. I just want to go back,” he told the BBC.
“I need to recover my work. I am a barber in Gaza and try to find a way to repair the damage caused to my living room and restart my business. I have become liable for so many people and I can I I can’t afford to buy the simplest things for my children, “he added.
“All I want is that this conflict between Hamas and Israel ends and that we are allowed to return home in the North. We have not seen our loved ones for more than 15 months.”
The Netzarim corridor is a seven kilometers strip of land controlled by Israel which cuts northern Gaza from the rest of the territory.
Lubna Nassar arrived with her two daughters and her son on a donkey cart in the afternoon, in the hope of going home and finding her husband, Sultan, whom she has not seen for 11 months .
“I will stay here, as close as possible to the Israeli checkpoint. For months, my daughters have been waiting for the moment to meet their father. I want to be among the first to return to Gaza,” she said.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators are progressing in their efforts to allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the North.
But Israeli tanks still block the coastal road through which people were supposed to walk north.
The Israelis asked the mediators a proof of life from Hamas for Mrs. Yehud, and it seems that Hamas gave it to the Egyptians.
Four women Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023 were released on Saturday as part of the cease-fire agreement which also allowed the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners.
Meanwhile, many residents of Gaza are impatiently awaiting any advanced that could allow them to return.
For many, the hope of coming back prevails over what awaits them: ruins and destruction.
However, the dream of resuming their lives in hand, rebuilding their homes and finding their families allows them to keep morale.
