Israel on Monday began allowing Palestinians to return to the heavily destroyed north of the Gaza Strip for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, in accordance with a fragile ceasefire.

While for some in Gaza there is joy at seeing what might remain of their homes in the north, for some Israelis their return evokes fears of another possible Hamas attack. After 15 months of war, now paused with a ceasefire deal that came into effect on Jan.

Qatar announced early Monday that an agreement has been reached to release an Israeli civilian hostage and allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, easing the first major crisis of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.