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Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning as part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. They are moving on foot along the Al-Rashid coastal road. For the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war, Israeli military forces are allowing them to cross the Netzarim corridor. Upon arrival in northern Gaza, they are met with scenes of devastation. The humanitarian crisis remains severe after more than 90 days of an Israeli siege, during which hospitals were attacked, aid was denied, and water supplies were cut off.

Omar Baddar, a Middle East analyst and former deputy director of the Arab-American Institute, is cautioning celebrating Israel’s decision to let displaced Palestinians return to North Gaza. “There is no question that Israel has ambitions to take over north Gaza. That is part of the reason why they have utterly destroyed it and expelled people from the area,” Baddar told Al Jazeera. “So, while this is a small promising sign – that they are going to allow within this agreement to allow people to return – they are allowing them to return to an area that is utterly devastated. There is no indication that they are going to allow them to rebuild their homes in that area,” he said. Baddar noted that, time and again, Israel had violated its commitments during ceasefires. “They have killed several Palestinians already, they’ve violated the ceasefire in Lebanon hundreds of times. So the situation remains incredibly precarious,” he said.

Israeli forces have killed 22 people in southern Lebanon, including a soldier. The military fired at people as they were trying to return home. At least 124 others have been injured. Israel was due to withdraw on Sunday, as part of an agreement reached in November. Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the United Nations and the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon (UNIFIL) said conditions are “not yet in place” for the safe return of Lebanese citizens to southern Lebanon. They said the timelines set under the ceasefire deal were not met, urging recommitment from both Israel and Lebanon.

Rare scenes of joy among Palestinians and Israelis after 15 months of genocide in Gaza. Prisoners are exchanged for captives but Israeli soldiers stop Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza. What lies ahead - hope, or more problems?

Palestinian Islamic Jihad has said that Israeli captive Arbel Yehud could be released ahead of Saturday's planned batch of releases. That's because Israel says it won't allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza until the issue of Arbel Yehud is resolved. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says she was supposed to have been released on Saturday. Israeli forces have opened fire on Palestinians waiting to cross from south of the Netzarim Corridor, into northern Gaza. Several Palestinians have been shot and injured on al-Rashid Street, close to the buffer zone occupied by Israel. They were carried to nearby ambulances by crowds despite the risk of being targeted too.

The head of the World Health Organization has condemned the killing of at least 70 people at a hospital in Sudan's Darfur region. Local officials say members of the Rapid Support Forces attacked the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the assault took place while the facility was full of patients receiving care. The paramilitary RSF and the Sudanese Army have been fighting in Sudan since April 2023.

As Poland assumes the European Union Council presidency, President Andrzej Duda talks to us about navigating critical challenges. From border tensions with Belarus and Russia to addressing global unpredictability after United States President Donald Trump’s return to office, Duda discusses Poland’s leadership in turbulent times. He also tackles migration, Israel, and the controversial ICC warrant for Netanyahu, highlighting the complexities of balancing diplomacy, law, and history.

The Israeli military is blocking thousands of Palestinians in central Gaza from returning to their homes in the north. People seeking to return to their neighbourhoods spent Saturday night on al-Rasheed Street, hoping Israeli forces would allow them to cross the Netzarim Corridor that divides north and south Gaza. But Israeli forces shot at Palestinians trying to reach their homes. Hamas says the Israeli army is delaying the implementation of the terms of their ceasefire. While Israel says Hamas had failed to meet its obligations, by not releasing a female civilian captive on Saturday.

Abdullah Al-Arian, a Middle East specialist at Georgetown University in Qatar, says President Trump’s comments asking Egypt and Jordan to accept 1.5 million war-displaced Palestinians from Gaza is a credible threat and not just an off-the-cuff remark. “There’s reason to take it seriously in part because we’ve seen this specific demand being made over the last year. This is something many Israeli officials indicated very early on in the course of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza is that they sought to ethnically cleanse as much of that territory as possible,” al-Arian told us.

Israeli fire injures at least six people in southern Lebanon as residents try to return - on the day its forces were due to withdraw under a ceasefire deal. Israeli soldiers are in breach of a ceasefire agreement reached in November. They were supposed to withdraw by a deadline which ended three hours ago - but Netanyahu says there aren't enough Lebanese soldiers in border villages for them to do so.