The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues, but faces complications with the release of Israeli hostages and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. While an agreement is in place for the release of hostages, including civilian Arbel Yehoud, disagreements over timing and conditions have caused delays. Palestinians gathered at roadblocks, hoping to return to their homes, but were met with Israeli military presence and violence. Meanwhile, international attention focuses on the fate of the remaining hostages and the potential for a lasting peace agreement.
Displaced Palestinians gather with their belongings near a roadblock as they wait to return to their homes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Sunday. An agreement has been reached, mediated by Qatar, to release an Israel i civilian hostage and allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza , easing the first major crisis of the conflict. The agreement stipulates that Qatar will hand over the civilian hostage, Arbel Yehoud, along with two other hostages before Friday.
And on Monday, Israeli authorities will allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza. The release of Yehoud and two other hostages is in addition to the one already set for next Saturday, when three hostages should be released. In addition, Hamas in a statement said the militant group had handed over a list of required information about all hostages to be released in the ceasefire’s six-week first phase. The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed it had received the list. Thousands of Palestinians have gathered, waiting to move north through the Netzarim corridor bisecting the territory, while local health officials on Sunday said Israeli forces fired on the crowd, killing two people and wounding nine.US President Donald Trump meanwhile suggested that most of Gaza’s population be at least temporarily resettled elsewhere, including in Egypt and Jordan. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said Palestinians would never accept such a proposal, “even if seemingly well-intentioned under the guise of reconstruction”. He said the Palestinians can rebuild Gaza “even better than before” if Israel lifts its blockade. Israeli forces fired on the crowds on three occasions overnight and into Sunday, killing two people and wounding nine, including a child, according to Al-Awda hospital, which received the casualties. Israel’s military in a statement said it fired warning shots at “several gatherings of dozens of suspects who were advancing toward the troops and posed a threat to them”. Israel has pulled back from several areas of Gaza under the ceasefire, which came into effect last Sunday. The military has warned people to stay away from its forces, which still operate in a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border and in the Netzarim corridor.But Israel put that on hold because of Yehoud, who Israel said should have been released on Saturday. Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement. The ceasefire is aimed at ending the 15-month war triggered by Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack and freeing hostages still held in Gaza in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. About 90 hostages are still in Gaza, and Israeli authorities believe at least a third, and up to half, have died. Itzik Horn, the father of hostages Iair and Eitan Horn, called any resumption of fighting “a death sentence for the hostages” and criticised government ministers who want the war to go on. The ceasefire’s first phase runs until early March and includes the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The second – and far more difficult – phase, has yet to be negotiated. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war, while Israel has threatened to resume its offensive until Hamas is destroyed. Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in the 7 October attack, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. More than 100 were freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the remains of dozens more, at least three of them mistakenly killed by Israeli forces. Seven have been freed in the latest ceasefire. Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministr
GAZA CEASEFIRE HAMAS ISRAEL HOSTAGES PALESTINIANS DISPLACED ROADBLOCKS MILITARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
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