More than 300,000 displaced Palestinians returned to the northern Gaza Strip on Monday from the central and southern areas of the enclave, the Gaza government's media office said.
"Today, more than 300,000 displaced Palestinians returned from the southern and central provinces to the Gaza and Northern Gaza provinces," the agency said in a statement on Monday.
Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, agreed on January 15 to a 42-day ceasefire and declared their intention to finally end the hostilities that have claimed the lives of over 47,000 Palestinians and about 1,500 Israelis over 15 months, spreading to Lebanon and Yemen and provoking an exchange of missile strikes between Israel and Iran.
The first stage provides for a partial exchange of prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli troops to the Gaza borders and humanitarian aid. The second and third stages are yet to be agreed upon.
Under the deal, the guarantors of the agreement—Qatar, Egypt and the United States—will establish a coordination center in Cairo.