Zeci de mii de palestinieni se întorc în nordul Gaza în timp ce Israelul deschide punctele de control    

Tens of thousands of Palestinians crossed back to northern Gaza on Monday morning after Israel opened military checkpoints that had divided the strip for more than a year, ending a displacement many feared could become permanent.In the dawn light, large crowds of people began the long walk back to their homes – or what remained of them – in columns heavy with emotion and trepidation. More than 200,000 people crossed to the north in the morning, a security official told the AFP news agency.Many knew they would be returning to nothing more than ruins, but wanted to pitch tents on their own land after long months shifting between crowded camps for displaced people in the south of the strip.“My heart is beating. I thought I would never come back,” said Osama, a 50-year-old public servant and father of five, as he arrived in Gaza City.“Whether the ceasefire succeeds or not, we will never leave GazaCity and the north again, even if Israel would sent a tank for each one of us. No more displacement,” he told the Associated Press.Some were looking for loved ones who had been unable or unwilling to leave; others hoped only to find bodies they knew were buried under rubble, to give them a dignified burial.The return had been scheduled to start on Sunday, but was delayed for 24 hours by the first major crisis in a fragile ceasefire deal.When the Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud was not released on Saturday as expected, Israel accused Hamas of violating an agreement to release the remaining female civilians first, and said the checkpoints to the north would remain closed.As the two sides traded accusations, the US president, Donald Trump, speculated about “clearing out” Gaza by moving up to 1.5 million Palestinians to neighbouring Arab countries. His comments added to fears among some in Gaza that they would never be allowed back to the north.Far-right politicians in Israel who opposed the ceasefire deal and want to restart the war, including the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, have also been vocal advocates of Jewish settlements in Gaza and long-term Israeli rule.Last-minute talks late into Sunday evening shored up the ceasefire deal, securing an agreement to release three hostages on Thursday – ahead of the original schedule – and open the routes north on Monday morning.Israel said Hamas had also provided details on the status of all 26 hostages scheduled for release during this stage of the agreement, telling it that eight were dead.Many Palestinians waited through the night at checkpoints to start their difficult journey as soon as possible on Monday morning. An Israeli military spokesperson announced overnight that the first checkpoint would open to people on foot at 5am, and vehicles would be allowed across after inspection from 9am.“No sleep. I have everything packed and ready to go with the first light of day,” Ghada, a mother of five, told Reuters on Sunday evening. “At least we are going back home. Now I can say war is over