Gazans trek home as truce begins

KHAN YUNIS (Palestinian Territories) Oct 10 (AFP): Full of grief after two years of war but glad to be going home, thousands of displaced Palestinians set off across the Gaza Strip on Friday, as a truce between Israel and Hamas took hold.

Timidly at first, then in a huge column, thousands walked northwards in a line at least a kilometre long from the safer areas of central Gaza towards Gaza City, the scene of a gruelling Israeli offensive before Friday's ceasefire.

People chanted "God is great", cheering and whistling in their joy as they walked on a recently opened Mediterranean seafront road, AFP journalists saw.

Ibrahim al-Helou, a 40-year-old man from Gaza City displaced in the central refugee camp of Al-Maghazi, told AFP he was excited, but remained cautious.

He said that when he began heading home, "the situation was dangerous, with gunfire, so I waited for a while".

"Now, the road has been opened and we have all continued on our way back to Gaza to check on our homes and assess the situation".

Ahmad Azzam, a 35-year-old who was also displaced to central Gaza from Gaza City, said he moved as soon as he heard of the troops pulling back.

"When I heard news of the Israeli withdrawal and that the road would be opened in the coming hours, my family and I immediately headed to Al-Rashid Street to return to Gaza," he told AFP.

He added that, like Helou, he found the situation dangerous at first, and initially chose to wait on a hill overlooking the coastal road.

"Only a few people are risking moving forward," he said, speaking at noon, the time the troops' pullback officially began.

Israel's military said Friday that troops "began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages".

It said in a separate statement in Arabic that Gaza's main north-south axis, Salah Al-Din road, had also been reopened, but warned Gazans against approaching army troops still stationed inside the Palestinian territory.

Israel government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told journalists on Thursday that Israel's military would redeploy to the so-called Yellow Line, as they gradually withdraw under a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.

During this first part of the withdrawal process, the military will still hold about 53 percent of the Gaza Strip.

In the southern city of Khan Yunis, dozens walked back to their homes on paths cleared through piles of rubble accumulated from over two years of war and air strikes, an AFP journalist reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday that the government had "approved the framework" of a hostage release deal with Hamas, as both sides edged closer to ending more than two years of hostilities in Gaza.

Israel previously said "all parties" had signed the first phase of a ceasefire agreement, adding that Hamas freeing the captives would "bring the end to this war".

The accord in Egypt follows a 20-point peace plan for Gaza announced last month by US President Donald Trump, who said he planned to leave on Sunday for the Middle East.

Egypt is planning an event to celebrate the conclusion of the deal, with Trump also expected to stop in Israel and consider going to devastated Gaza.