Fighting claimed lives until the final moments before the truce between Israel and Hamas took effect. For some, an unexpected delay of a few hours proved deadly.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are eager to leave miserable tent camps and return to their homes if a long-awaited ceasefire agreement halts the Israel-Hamas war.

A Palestinian was killed and two others were injured in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday due to the explosion of an object believed to be remnants of Israeli explosives, a local medic said. The explosion took place in al-Touam area between the towns of Jabalia and Beit Lahia, the medic told Anadolu.

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.

Crowds of displaced Palestinians made the arduous journey back to heavily destroyed northern Gaza for a second day Tuesday, under a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

More than 300,000 displaced Palestinians have now returned to the ruins of their homes in Gaza City. Mediators have begun negotiations over the second stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.