Thousands of displaced Palestinians are streaming back towards their abandoned homes after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect and Israeli troops began pulling back from parts of Gaza.

A massive column of displaced Gazans filed north on Friday through the dust towards Gaza City, the enclave's biggest urban area, which had been under attack just days ago in one of Israel's biggest offensives of the war.

"Thank God my house is still standing," said Ismail Zayda, 40, in the Sheikh Radwan area in Gaza City.

"But the place is destroyed, my neighbours' houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone."

The Israeli military said the ceasefire agreement was activated at noon, local time, on Friday.

Israel's government ratified the ceasefire with Hamas early on Friday, cleari

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