Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians streamed into Gaza’s most heavily destroyed area on Monday after Israel opened the north for the first time since the early weeks of the war with Hamas, a dramatic reversal of their exodus 15 months ago.

They returned under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, walking for hours to reach the bombed-out landscape.

Footage from Wadi Gaza, on the coast of the Gaza Strip, shows thousands of people on foot, carrying their belongings in their hands as they make their return. Much of northern Gaza is now in ruins after Israeli bombardments.