Israel has said northern Gaza is closed as displaced Palestinians try to take advantage of the lull in fighting to return to their homes.

As the four-day ceasefire negotiated by Qatar came into effect on Friday morning, scores of displaced people across the Gaza Strip attempted to return home. However, Israel has warned people not to enter the north of the war-torn enclave.

Videos obtained by Al Jazeera showed Palestinians returning to their homes in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, despite the Israeli army’s insistence that it was a combat zone.

The Israeli military has said it believes Hamas will try to encourage or pressure civilians to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip and that it is prepared to prevent this, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom reported occupied East Jerusalem.

The Associated Press reported that Israel dropped leaflets over the southern Gaza Strip, warning hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking refuge there not to return north during its ground offensive.

Still, hundreds could be seen heading north on Friday.

Citing witnesses, Palestinian news agency Wafa said seven people were injured by Israeli forces as they tried to travel to the northern Gaza Strip.

Several were injured and taken back to hospitals in the south of the territory, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Two were shot dead by Israeli troops and another eleven were wounded in the legs. An AP journalist reported seeing two bodies and wounded people as they arrived at a hospital.

An Israeli military spokesman, Avichay Adraee, released a statement in Arabic on X.

“Residents of the Gaza Strip, the movement of the population from the south of the Gaza Strip to the north will not be allowed in any way, but only from north to south,” it said.

“We ask you not to approach the armed forces and the areas north of the Gaza Valley. Use the time to meet your needs and manage your affairs,” he said.

“The area north of the Gaza Strip is a combat zone and staying there is prohibited. The war is not over and we urge you to heed the lessons and warnings for your safety,” Adraee added.

‘Everything is broken’

Many people have no home to return to after seven weeks of Israeli bombardment and ground invasions that began on October 7.

Gaza resident Ashraf Shann told Al Jazeera that he had mixed feelings about the ceasefire.

“I can’t go anywhere even if I do [the Israelis] Allow us to return to Gaza City. “My house was bombed and completely destroyed on the third day of the war,” he said.

“At the same time, I am happy for the people whose relatives are missing. At least they can pick up the pieces and try to look for them.”

Zak Hania, a displaced Palestinian who fled the Shati refugee camp, said: “Everything is broken in Gaza.”

“We don’t know whether to be happy or sad. Our houses are broken, our hearts are broken, everything is broken in Gaza now. We don’t know what life will be like after this,” he told Al Jazeera from the southern city of Khan Younis.

Asked if he planned to return home during the ceasefire, Hania replied: “We cannot go because the Israeli army has said that no one is allowed to return to the north and people are afraid and hesitant to go there. “

“I think it is dangerous to return because they are still on the road that separates the north and south of Gaza… We are not sure about anything and we just pray that the ceasefire holds,” he said.

There is a threat of war resuming

Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said the threat of war resuming in a few days was a great disappointment for the people.

“There is a feeling of happiness, a feeling of optimism, but it is a cautious optimism because after 48 days of relentless airstrikes and killings, so many Palestinians are surrounded by destruction and blood and the bodies of their loved ones and family members,” Mahmoud said .

“The ceasefire comes when people want to take a moment and just check on each other and their homes and belongings,” he said.

“It is also becoming apparent that the war will resume in a few days, according to Israeli officials,” Mahmoud said.

“This statement was very devastating and depressing for many Palestinians who believe that this ceasefire is incomplete and unfair, as they want to go into their homes and see who of their family members is left,” he said.

The Israeli war has killed more than 14,800 people in Gaza since October 7th. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas attacks before the war was around 1,200.