Palestinians return to northern Gaza Strip during ceasefire

Thousands of Palestinians were streaming back into northern Gaza on Monday, more than a year after the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas drove them away. On Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Gazans would be able to return to the area on Monday. The Times of Israel on Monday reported on the pilgrimage back into northern Gaza, while aid workers from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society helped the refugees.

Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire allowing the refugees to return to northern Gaza. The agreement also required Hamas to release, in groups, the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel was required to wind down its military operations in the Gaza Strip. On Sunday, the Israeli military confirmed that its soldiers were still carrying out precise attacks in some areas of Gaza.

What about plans to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip? The State of Palestine’s permanent observer at the UN urged President Donald Trump on Sunday to push for Palestinian people to stay in Gaza. The letter came shortly after Trump said he wanted Jordan and Egypt to take on Palestinian refugees, per the Associated Press. UN representatives’ letter warned that authorities in Palestine would not tolerate such a removal.

Dig deeper: Listen to Lindsay Mast’s discussion with William Inboden on The World and Everything in It podcast about the fragility of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.