Crowds of Palestinians fill Gaza’s main coastal road as they stream north. With their belongings on their backs, they smile, hug and sing, overjoyed at the prospect of returning home after more than a year of war.

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

Meanwhile, Hamas has told Israel that eight of 26 Israeli hostages set to be released as part of the first phase of the ceasefire are dead.