Middle East live updates: Crowds trek into northern Gaza amid fragile ceasefire

1 hour and 45 minutes ago

Threats to ceasefire will 'bear the full cost,' Israeli minister says

Katz Israel, the Israeli defense minister, said on Monday that his country would "firmly" enforce the ceasefires that have paused fighting in Gaza.

"Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost," he said in Hebrew on social media. "We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7."

2 hours and 1 minute ago

Tens of thousands trek into northern Gaza

Tens of thousands of people were marching and driving on Monday back to northern Gaza, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.

Long lines of Palestinians -- some singing, others smiling and some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip -- were seen making their way home.

Those returning home were moving along two main routes.

A drone view shows Palestinians, who were displaced to the south at Israel's order during the war, making their way back to their homes in northern Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, Jan. 27, 2025.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Many of those who were were walking home were moving along al-Rashid Street, a path expected to be taken by about 300,000 people.

Many of those who were driving north were doing so along Salah al-Din Road.

A youth gestures while sitting with other children on the boot of a moving vehicle as people gather along the Salah al-Din road in Nuseirat near the Netzarim corridor waiting to cross to the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Jan. 27, 2025.
Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images

A line of cars could be seen stretching for about 8 miles on Monday morning, as they waited for permission to cross into the northern part of Gaza.

-ABC News’ Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller, Nasser Atta and Samayeh Malekian

Jan 26, 2025, 7:39 PM EST

1 dead, 4 injured after IDF fired at 'dozens of suspects' in central Gaza

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its team evacuated one person who was killed, and four people who were injured, after an attack by Israeli snipers near the Wadi Gaza Bridge on Sunday.

Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops fired "warning shots" at "several gatherings of dozens of suspects" who the IDF said posed a threat to them.

Additionally, a rocket was destroyed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, according to the IDF's statement.

Jan 26, 2025, 6:49 PM EST

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had introductory call with Israel's Netanyahu

Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an introductory call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from a U.S. senior defense official.

"Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats," according to the statement.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 14, 2025.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Hegseth, who won Senate confirmation after being selected by President Donald Trump for the role, stressed to Netanyahu that the U.S. is "fully committed" to ensuring that Israel "has the capabilities it needs to defend itself," according to the statement.

Additionally, the defense official said that "both leaders agreed to remain in close contact."