Gaza City: Thousands of Palestinians on Monday morning began returning to the northern Gaza Strip as part of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group that came into effect on Jan. 19.

According to Anadolu Agency, thousands of people moved on foot toward northern Gaza through the coastal Al-Rashid street as of 7 am local time (0500GMT), as reported by witnesses and an Anadolu correspondent on the ground. Palestinian social media activists uploaded footage of people chanting and celebrating while returning to their areas.

The Gaza media office had announced earlier that individuals could move to northern Gaza on foot through the coastal street starting at 7 am. It also stated that people could travel to northern Gaza from central and southern Gaza via vehicles through Salaheddin Street, eastern Gaza, beginning at 9 am.