Israeli troops prevented Palestinians from returning to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, as Israel said Hamas had violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement that took effect a week ago while Hamas accused Israel of stalling.
Officials on both sides said they were in contact with mediators to try to resolve the crisis – one of the largest between the sides since the ceasefire sparked at least a temporary halt in fighting after 15 months of devastating war.
Under the terms of the initial phase of the deal agreed this month, Israel was to withdraw some of its forces to allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans to head north after an exchange of hostages and prisoners on Saturday.
But the Israeli government said Hamas violated the agreement by failing to first return the captive Israeli women and providing Israel with information regarding the status of other hostages, as stipulated by the agreement.
Israeli officials said that under the agreement, Arbel Yehud, an Israeli civilian held hostage in Gaza, was supposed to be one of four women released on Saturday.
The freed hostages were all soldiers who had been staying at a base on the Gaza border and were taken from there on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack on Israel that started the war .
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said it would not allow Gazans to move north “until the liberation of the Yehud civil arbel has been organized”, leaving the timing of the withdrawal troops and the return of residents.
The Israeli government reiterated in a statement on Sunday that Mr. Netanyahu was “firm” on this decision. Ms Yehud was also due to be released with around 100 other hostages during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023.
Additionally, Hamas reportedly provided Israel with a detailed list by the end of Saturday of the status of the remaining 26 hostages which is expected to be released over the next five weeks. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, said Sunday afternoon that Israel had still not received the list.
Israeli officials have said they believe many or most of the hostages expected to be released in the first phase of the deal are alive, but the status of some of them is unclear.
Hamas accused Israel of blocking and violating the agreement by preventing displaced Gazans from moving north.
In a statement, Hamas said it had informed the mediators that Ms Yehud was alive and had given “all necessary guarantees for her release”, adding that it was following the mediators in the hope of resolving the dispute.
The ceasefire agreement was mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The Israeli official said on Sunday that Israel had not received any evidence from Hamas regarding Ms. Yehud’s status.
But it appears that Hamas may not have a hold on Ms. Yehud.
Hussein al-Batsh, an official with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller armed organization that sometimes rivals Hamas in Gaza, told the New York Times on Sunday that Ms. Yehud was in the custody of the QuDS Brigades, the group’s military wing. . He said Ms Yehud was not released on Saturday for what he called “technical reasons”.
Mr. Al-Batsh added that senior Islamic Jihad leaders were involved in discussions with the mediators. A spokesperson for the group, Mohammed Al Haj Mousa, later said in a statement that Ms Yehud would be released before next Saturday to allow the displaced Gazans to return to the north as quickly as possible.
But Israel denied any agreement had been reached on Ms Yehud’s return. An official familiar with the details said late Sunday that contacts with mediators were continuing and reiterated that Israel would not allow displaced Gazans to move north until the issue of Ms. Yehud’s release was resolved. has been resolved.
On Sunday, images of a large crowd of displaced Palestinians waiting near the Netzarim corridor, an area built by Israeli forces that divides Gaza in two, to return to the north circulated in Palestinian media.
Wafa, the Palestinian Authority news agency, reported that one person was killed and several others were injured west of Nuseirat in central Gaza after Israeli forces fired on the crowd of people waiting to return to the north.
The army said in a statement on Sunday that its troops had “identified several gatherings of dozens of suspects who were advancing towards the troops and posing a threat to them.” Troops fired warning shots at them, the statement added, without addressing the victims’ reports.
The military again called on Gaza residents to follow its announcements and avoid approaching troops deployed in the region. The military added that its troops eliminated a person from southern Gaza whom it identified as a member of the Islamic Jihad rocket unit who posed a threat to them.
Ghada al-Kurd, 37, said she chose to stay in central Gaza on Sunday despite wanting to return to her home in the north. “I won’t leave until everything becomes clear,” she said. “I will not risk my life – these soldiers cannot be trusted,” she added.
Ms. Al-Kurd, who left her home and her two daughters in Gaza City in the first weeks of the war, was once again left wondering when she would finally be able to see them. “Here we are waiting, feeling stressed and anxious,” she said. “They are playing with our fate,” she added.
John Reiss, Gabby Sobelman And Myra Noveck Reports contributed.
