Israel on Monday began allowing Palestinians to return to the heavily destroyed north of the Gaza Strip for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, in accordance with a fragile ceasefire. (Pics/AFP)
Updated On: 2025-01-27 02:53 PM IST
Compiled by : ronak mastakar
Thousands of Palestinians headed north after waiting for days to cross. Associated Press reporters saw people crossing the so-called Netzarim corridor shortly after 7 a.m. when the checkpoints were scheduled to open
The opening was delayed for two days over a dispute between Hamas and Israel, which said the militant group had changed the order of the hostages it released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Mediators resolved the dispute overnight
The ceasefire is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas and securing the release of dozens of hostages captured in the militants' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which triggered the fighting
Israel ordered the wholescale evacuation of the north in the opening days of the war and sealed it off shortly after ground troops moved in. Around a million people fled to the south in October 2023 and have not been allowed to return. Hundreds of thousands remained in the north, which had some of the heaviest fighting and the worst destruction of the war
Israel had delayed the opening of the crossing, which was supposed to happen over the weekend, saying it would not allow Palestinians north until a female civilian hostage, Arbel Yehoud, was released. It also accused Hamas of failing to provide information on whether the remaining hostages set to be freed in the first phase are alive or dead
Hamas in turn accused Israel of violating the agreement by not opening the crossing
The Gulf nation of Qatar, a key mediator with Hamas, announced early Monday that an agreement had been reached to release Yehoud along with two other hostages before Friday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the hostage release, which will include female soldier Agam Berger, will take place on Thursday. That release will be in addition to the one already set for next Saturday, when three hostages should be released
Hamas also handed over a list of required information about the hostages to be released in the ceasefire's six-week first phase
