palestinians have begun returning to their homes in northern gaza as part of a ceasefire deal involving the return of israeli hostages. these are life pictures from the gaza strip. sir keir starmer and donald trump have agreed to meet soon after the uk prime minister praised the president for his role in securing the ceasefire deal. i am live at auschwitz as the world marks holocaust memorial day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz. it has been an emotional and moving morning already as we saw with survivors and the polish president gathering here to pay tribute to remember the 1.1 million people who were murdered here.

we begin in the middle east, where thousands of displaced palestinians are returning to northern gaza. these are the live pictures from gaza. we have seen long lines of people streaming along the coast road many carrying their possessions on their back. residents were allowed to start returning on foot five hours ago, many using rashid street, the sea road. then two hours later vehicles were allowed to start moving into the north, but they will all have to be inspected at checkpoints. over the weekend thousands of palestinians who had hoped

to be allowed back home had gathered at the military barrier which had been blocking the route. the israeli authorities had made the return of tens of thousands of palestinians to the north conditional on the release of an israeli civilian hostage, arbel yehud. she wasn't freed on saturday when four women soldiers were. hamas says it will now release her and two other hostages on thursday, followed by three more on saturday. in other developments, egypt has rejected any attempt to relocate palestinians from gaza, after us president donald trump said he'd like to see more than a million of gaza's residents taken in by other arab nations. he told reporters that the strip was "literally a demolition site" and suggested it be cleaned out.

our correspondent is in jerusalem and gave me the latest on those people returning to their homes in gaza. ~ �* ., ., ~ ., gaza. we're not talking about thousands — gaza. we're not talking about thousands of _ gaza. we're not talking about thousands of people. - gaza. we're not talking about thousands of people. we - gaza. we're not talking about thousands of people. we are | thousands of people. we are talking about tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people on the move. it is estimated there are more than half a million palestinians in southern gaza who have been displaced from the north and are going to try and go home but you are right to suggest that many of them and have a home to go to. the united nations says 60% of all buildings in the gaza strip have been destroyed or damaged. nevertheless, people want to get back to the rubble of their homes and make some attempt to rebuild. i homes and make some attempt to rebuild. . , ., ., rebuild. i am seeing, also, on one of the _ rebuild. i am seeing, also, on one of the feeds _ rebuild. i am seeing, also, on one of the feeds of _ rebuild. i am seeing, also, on one of the feeds of pictures, i one of the feeds of pictures, queues of cars waiting. just explain the difference between those who are allowed on foot and if they do have a vehicle. yes. from seven o'clock local time this morning, palestinians were allowed to start moving on

foot so they all started going up foot so they all started going up the coastal road which runs all the way around the coast through gaza. it is quite a long walk, actually. they will go to the very far north of gaza. you're talking more than ten kilometres. they were going on foot carrying whatever they could. the six, the young. two hours later they opened the main road which goes right up the middle of the gaza strip. that was opened to cars, trucks, any sort of vehicle but all those vehicles have to be inspected by the israeli military and my experience of israeli checkpoints. i mean, that could be a very, very long wait for people. just that could be a very, very long wait for people.— wait for people. just explain why there — wait for people. just explain why there was _ wait for people. just explain why there was the _ wait for people. just explain why there was the hold-up. | why there was the hold—up. because we had expected this to happen at the weekend. yes. under the — happen at the weekend. yes. under the original _ happen at the weekend. yes under the original ceasefire plan, it was meant to happen at the weekend but then we had some wrangling over which hostages should have been

released on saturday so the israelis have said that they wanted a civilian hostage, a woman who is now 29. she was 28 when she was captured. and she has now been put on the list of those who are going to be freed later in the week because at the weekend we only had those for soldiers coming out so she is going to come out on thursday now with two other israeli hostages and on saturday, three further hostages will be released in exchange for scores of palestinian prisoners. and on the ceasefire _ palestinian prisoners. and on the ceasefire deal, _ palestinian prisoners. and on the ceasefire deal, we - palestinian prisoners. and on the ceasefire deal, we are . palestinian prisoners. and on the ceasefire deal, we are oni the ceasefire deal, we are on phase one, how many people in this first phase are we expecting to be released and indeed how many of those palestinian prisoners that are held in israeli jails will be released in return?- held in israeli jails will be released in return? well, on the israeli — released in return? well, on the israeli side _ released in return? well, on the israeli side it _

released in return? well, on the israeli side it is - released in return? well, on the israeli side it is 33 - the israeli side it is 33 israeli hostages in total in the first six week phase. seven have already come out so far so thatis have already come out so far so that is 26 more over the next five weeks. in the palestinian side we've had about 300 prisoners released from israeli jails. there is a further 1600 jails. there is a further i600 palestinian prisoners to come in the next five weeks and i expect every weekend there is going to be wrangling over the names on the list. you should come out. whether it is hostages who are alive or dead. the seniority, the seriousness of some of the offences those palestinian business had been convicted for. it will be a complex process. the negotiations will go on and we have got to start the negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire arrangement and that is the moment when we should, if things go to plan, get a and to the war. it is not over yet. we have got a pause. the second phase of the negotiations could be much more complex.-

phase of the negotiations could be much more complex. these are the live pictures _ be much more complex. these are the live pictures just _ be much more complex. these are the live picturesjust after- the live pictures just after midday there in gaza and, for the last five hours, we have seen scenes like this where people are carrying their belongings on their backs. the reuters news agency spoke to a palestinian mother who was in that mass of people and she said we are very happy we are back on our way to gaza, prays to god. it is true that we got tired but, in the end, we were victorious. thank you to the fighters. thank god. it is like i was born again and we were victorious again. just one palestinian woman he was in that sea of people making their way to the north. you will remember, when the conflict started, gaza correspondent reported from gaza. he is now in cairo. he told me how he feels watching people return to

the north of gaza.— the north of gaza. mixed feeling- _ the north of gaza. mixed feeling. very _ the north of gaza. mixed feeling. very emotionall the north of gaza. mixed i feeling. very emotional day the north of gaza. mixed - feeling. very emotional day for me and my family. very relieved that my father and the rest of the family will be starting their journey the family will be starting theirjourney back the family will be starting their journey back to the family will be starting theirjourney back to gaza city. where most of their homes were destroyed. but it is a big day for all palestinians. we are talking about more than a million people. not sure of all of them will manage to cross today because, you know, it is a long walk. and it is going to take a very long time to walk this road. it is a dusty road. semi destroyed road. the qataris and the egyptians and the americans were on the ground to facilitate the return back for the people. they started working on a coastal road area in the morning but in the last hour they started to

allow cars to cross into northern gaza. the processes that they allow 20 guys each time to a certain area and they are checked by scanners and by hands so there is a team inspecting the car, checking, to make sure there is no, you know, military equipment inside the car. so every a0 minutes it is a0 guys in the leave they could process as much as a000 cars every day back into gaza but people are walking freely without any obstacles, without any israeli army and the place because the army has withdrawn its forces from the coastal road early in the morning, allowing people to return back. we are in cairo with about 100,000 people who were first forced to displace from their homes and they left to cairo

for the safety of their people. all of them are waiting for any time egypt would open their rafah crossing and allow people back into gaza. you rafah crossing and allow people back into gaza.— back into gaza. you said it is an emotional _ back into gaza. you said it is an emotional moment - back into gaza. you said it is an emotional moment for i back into gaza. you said it is| an emotional moment for you back into gaza. you said it is - an emotional moment for you and for the palestinians moving today. we have to remember they will have been moved a number of times since the conflict began. of times since the conflict be . an. . of times since the conflict bean. . �* , of times since the conflict bean. , ~ , ., of times since the conflict bean. , ~ ,~ began. yes. and they are facing the reality _ began. yes. and they are facing the reality now. _ began. yes. and they are facing the reality now. the _ began. yes. and they are facing the reality now. the joy - began. yes. and they are facing the reality now. the joy in - began. yes. and they are facing the reality now. the joy in the l the reality now. the joy in the early morning is mixed and overshadowed with the reality that they now need hundred and 50,000 as an urgent matter. the mass run local authority issued a statement saying that they need 150,000 and this can all reflect how much disruption there is an gaza city. the images and videos were getting from there is completely

unfortunate for the people you are returning back. i was following two families who have been waiting for two days at that checkpoint. 0ne been waiting for two days at that checkpoint. one of them made it to gaza city, just send me a text message saying that the shop was looted first and then bombed. and his house was completely burned. and so he was waiting for long hours in the queue and then when he got there, when he gets to his place, he could not find his house. and his income, a source of income, hisjob. so very sad for him. he was very happy when i was talking to him in the last couple of days that, finally, you will be back to his neighbourhood. but very quickly realised that the fact on the ground is completely different. aha, on the ground is completely different-— different. a corresponding currently _ different. a corresponding currently in _ different. a corresponding currently in cairo. - different. a corresponding currently in cairo. we - different. a corresponding | currently in cairo. we have different. a corresponding i currently in cairo. we have a live page up and running as

those thousands of palestinians return on foot to the north of gaza. you will find that on the bbc news website and app. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

welcome to auschwitz. it's been a very cold, frosty morning here. quite surreal that the sun is out and you can even hear the birds because the world is marking hear the birds beca