Thousands of displaced Gazans spent the night sleeping outside on the streets, as they waited for the IDF to open the Netzaram Corridor and allow them to return to the northern areas of the Strip.
Israel announced on Saturday that the route would remain closed after Hamas failed to release Erbil Jews from captivity on Saturday, as it had done under a ceasefire agreement.
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Gazans await the opening of the passage to the north.
(Photo: Ramzan Abid/Reuters)
According to a CNN report, the officials asked Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff to intervene and “pressure Hamas to comply with the terms of the agreement and release Erbil.”
Gazans await the opening of the passage to the north.
IDF Arabic-language spokesman Avichai Adraee posted an urgent warning to Gazans not to go near the Netzarim corridor. “In light of the cease-fire violations by Hamas and to avoid friction and misunderstandings, the directives have not been changed as they were. The Netzarim Corridor will not be open to transit until No deal with mediators. Release an Israeli citizen,” he said in his post. “Follow the instructions and ensure your safety.”
The Palestinian Shihab news agency wrote that the homeless are sleeping on the ground despite the extreme cold. “They are waiting for Rashid Street to open and return to the north.” A man told the agency he wanted to grab the sand and kiss it in northern Gaza. He said that God should protect us from war.
Earlier on Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s al-Haqat channel said talks on the release of Erbil had ended without an agreement. Officials in Israel maintain that the sooner he is released, the sooner he will be allowed to pass through northern Gaza. “Israel does not want to create a situation where it agrees to violations of the agreement. This is not a decision taken lightly, but an insistence that comes after serious consideration.”
