Deir al-Bala, Gaza Strip (APP) – Israel barred thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday as it accused Hamas of violating the hostage-taking order it issued. A fragile ceasefire has been violated by the change. Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd, killing two and wounding nine, local health officials said.
In a separate development, US President Donald Trump suggested on Saturday that most of the population of Gaza should be resettled elsewhere, at least temporarilyTo “just clean up” war-torn enclaves, including in Egypt and Jordan.
Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians themselves have rejected such a scenario out of fear of Israel The refugees may never be allowed back.
A senior Hamas official, Basim Na’im, said the Palestinians would never accept such a proposal, “even if seemingly well-intentioned under the guise of reconstruction.” He said the Palestinians could rebuild Gaza “even better than before”. If Israel lifts its blockade.
Under the Israel-Hums ceasefire, Israel on Saturday began allowing Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza on foot. The so-called Netzarium Corridor Plaguing Gaza. Israel put the move on hold until Hamas freed a hostage that Israel said had been released on Saturday. Hamas in turn accused Israel of violating the agreement.
Crowds of people traveling on foot and carrying their belongings crowded a main road, causing the closure of an Israeli checkpoint. “We have been in agony for a year and a half,” said a displaced woman from the north as she waited. “We’ve been waiting since 1am to come back.”
“The fate of more than a million people is tied to one person,” said Fadi al-Sanwar, who was also displaced from Gaza City, referring to the Israeli hostage.
“See how precious we are? We are useless.
The conflict and firing task examines the critical cease-fire
Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd overnight and three times on Sunday, killing two people and injuring nine, including a child, among the casualties.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Israel has pulled back from several areas of Gaza as part of a ceasefire, which took effect last Sunday, but the army has warned people to stay away from its forces, which are still along the border. Together, they are operating in the buffer zone within and within Gaza. Netzarium Corridor.
Hamas Freed four young female Israeli soldiers On Saturday, Israel released nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners, most of whom were serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.
Saturday’s release of four Israeli hostages comes as the Gaza Strip nears a ceasefire and is part of a long and uncertain process aimed at finally ending the war. AP’s Sam Madnick explains.
But Israel said another hostage, female civilian Arbel Yehud, should have been released before the soldiers, and that until she was released Netzarium will not open the corridor until then. It also charged Hamas with providing details on the conditions of the hostages being released in the coming weeks. have failed to do.
Hamas accused Israel of delaying the return of Palestinians to their homes over the issue. In a statement, the militant group said it had informed mediators that Yehud was alive and provided guarantees that he would be released.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar, which mediated the ceasefire, were working to resolve the conflict.
Ending the war will be difficult
The cease-fire earlier this month comes after more than a year of negotiations, ending the 15-month war that Hamas launched on October 7, 2023, in retaliation for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and those still in Gaza. There are several hostages to be freed.
About 90 hostages are still being held in Gaza, and Israeli officials believe that at least a third, and as many as half of them, were killed in the initial attack or died in captivity.
The first phase of the ceasefire lasted until early March and included the release of a total of 33 hostages and about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The second – and far more difficult – step, is to not communicate yet. 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.
The October 7 attack by Hamas-led militants killed about 1,1200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250,000 people. More than 100 were released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023. The Israeli military has rescued eight hostages alive and recovered the remains of dozens more, at least three of whom were accidentally killed by Israeli forces. Seven have been released since the latest ceasefire began.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children. It does not say how many of the dead were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters without providing evidence.
Israeli bombing and ground operations Gaza is widely torn And about 90% of its population displaced 2.3 million people. Many people who have returned to their homes since the ceasefire began have found only mounds of rubble where their neighborhoods once stood.
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Magdi reports from Cairo and Krause from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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