Fresh violence: Israeli forces open fire on people returning to homes

Israeli forces opened fire on people trying to return to their homes under ceasefire agreements for Lebanon and Gaza, killing more than 20 people in Lebanon and one Palestinian.

- Emma Graham-Harrison, Ruth Michaelson, Jerusalem, William Christou, Beirut

Israeli authorities also ordered the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to vacate its hub offices in East Jerusalem by Thursday, before a total ban on operations in Israel that could jeopardize aid operations in Gaza.

Two separate deals to halt fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza both included provisions for civilians displaced by fighting to start going back from Sunday. But Israel said it would not allow people to return to either area, accusing Hamas and the Lebanese army of violating commitments under the two ceasefire deals.

In Gaza, a crowd of thousands gathered overnight near a main Israeli checkpoint, entrance to a broad military corridor that now cuts the strip in two. They were desperate to see if anything they owned had survived the fighting, or to escape refugee camps and temporary shelters, even if only for tents pitched in the ruins of their former homes.

On Sunday morning they were still waiting, after Israel accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal by delaying the release of the hostage Arbel Yehoud. She was expected to be freed on Saturday, when four soldiers were returned to Israel.