Israel let tens of thousands of Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas​, under terms of a fragile ceasefire​.

Massive crowds streamed into the most heavily destroyed part on Monday in accordance with a fragile ceasefire.

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning home to northern Gaza on Monday, bracing for what awaits them in a region that has been reduced to rubble by months of brutal bombardment and fighting.

Israel and Hamas reached a deal to resolve a disagreement over the exchange of a female civilian hostage that had threatened to derail the truce. Lebanon, however, saw the deadliest day since Israel’s truce with Hezbollah took effect.

The U.S. said on Sunday that the agreement between Lebanon and Israel would remain in effect until Feb. 18, after Israel said on Friday it would keep troops in the south beyond the Sunday deadline set out in a U.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire until Feb. 18 to give Israeli troops more time to withdraw, the Trump administration said Sunday, while a Gaza dispute with Hamas over a hostage was resolved.

Hamas provided Israel with long-awaited information about the status of the hostages listed for release during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the war in the Gaza Strip. The move followed intense negotiations over the weekend to resolve a dispute that had threatened to derail the deal.

Eight of the remaining hostages set to be released by Hamas in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement with Israel are dead, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.