Long lines of Palestinians -- some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip -- were making their way home on Monday.

Israeli troops pull back but maintain a watchful eye on the tens of thousands of Gazans who had been displaced during the 15 months of fighting.

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​.