This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Bernadette Keoh and in the early hours of Monday the 10th of February, these are our main stories.

Palestinians are flocking back to northern Gaza after Israeli forces completed their withdrawal from a strategic road, cutting the enclave in half.

Polls have closed in Ecuador's presidential and parliamentary elections where security is a key issue.

People die now no longer from illness, but from crime.

Where is the security?

Also in this podcast, we hear from South Africa after Donald Trump accused the government there of wanting to seize white-owned land and because of that, froze US funding.

And an icon of Namibia's independent struggle and the country's first president, Sam Neuma, has died.

Palestinians in their thousands have today been able to cross a strategic road which had cut

the Gaza Strip in half after Israeli troops completed their withdrawal. It had been turned into a militarised zone

during the war. In cars and on carts laden with belongings, the displaced have been streaming

back to northern Gaza through what's known as the Netserim corridor. Many Palestinians returning to

assess the situation in the north remained defiant despite the widespread

destruction caused by Israeli bombardment.

They've deprived us of food and water, but they haven't deprived us of air.

They haven't managed to do that.

We remain alive.

Today I came to the north to check the situation and thank God the road was good and the

Israeli army have withdrawn. We are fine as long as we've been back and everyone is good

and will all return. Our correspondent in Jerusalem, Muradav Davis, told me how important Israel's military withdrawal would be.

The Israeli military partial withdrawal from this area

under the ceasefire agreement has allowed many more people now

...