Here’s the latest on the cease-fire.

 

Here’s the latest on the cease-fire.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/27/world/israel-hamas-lebanon-gaza

 

Tens of thousands of Palestinians began walking toward their old neighborhoods in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Monday, after a tense weekend of diplomacy underscored the fragility of a truce between Israel and Hamas.

 

While people began the walk shortly before 7 a.m. local time, it was not clear early Monday whether any had been able to cross into the northern area of the enclave.

 

On Saturday, Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers who had been taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel, in turn, handed over 200 Palestinian prisoners. But on Sunday, their week-old cease-fire appeared to wobble. Israel said it was not withdrawing some of its troops from Gaza, as planned, partly because Hamas had not returned female Israeli civilians first, as agreed.

 

After hours of tense negotiations, the two sides reached an agreement under which Hamas would hand over several hostages by the end of the week. In exchange, Israel agreed to begin allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in the north after dawn on Monday.

 

Here’s what else to know:

 

The details: Displaced people living in southern Gaza were allowed to start returning north on foot starting at 7 a.m., or midnight Eastern time, the Israeli military said. Vehicles will be allowed to drive north through a different route starting at 9 a.m.

 

Sticking point: The Israeli government said over the weekend that Hamas had violated the cease-fire in part by failing to release Arbel Yehud, an Israeli civilian who was seized during the Hamas-led assault on Israel in October 2023. The two sides later agreed that she would be among the hostages released this week.

 

Displaced Palestinians: President Trump told reporters that he would like Jordan and Egypt to take in more displaced Palestinians as part of an effort to “clean out” Gaza. Egypt and Jordan rejected the suggestion, saying the only way forward was Palestinian statehood.

 

Show of force: The carefully choreographed release of Israeli prisoners on Saturday highlighted how powerful Hamas remains inside Gaza, even after Israel killed thousands of its members and demolished much of its infrastructure.