Crowds of Palestinians fill Gaza’s main coastal road as they stream north. With their belongings on their backs, they smile, hug and sing, overjoyed at the prospect of returning home after more than a year of war.

Palestinian officials say more than 650,000 displaced people were blocked from entering the northern Gaza Strip, according to Reuters. Israel blocked access to the region after it accused Hamas of failing to release 29-year-old Arbel Yehud during an agreed upon hostage-prisoner exchange.