Israel said it will not tolerate any more breaches of the agreement by Hamas, including any transfer of terrorist fighters or weapons into northern Gaza.
Israel has reopened the route to northern Gaza after Hamas agreed to release Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud and five others this week, allowing thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.
The opening was delayed for two days over a dispute between Hamas and Israel, which said the terrorist group had changed the order of the hostages it released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a statement on Jan. 26 that Hamas will release Yehud and two other hostages before Jan. 31, followed by three more hostages on Feb. 1.
In return, Israel will allow Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip. Thousands of civilians began crossing al-Rashid Street on foot on Jan. 27, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Hamas has called the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza “a victory for our people” and “a declaration of failure and defeat for the [Israeli] occupation and transfer plans.”
Israel delayed the opening of the route last week after it said Hamas had violated terms of hostage-for-prisoner exchange by failing to release Yehud, a female Israeli civilian kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
Israel stated that Yehud was expected to be released on Jan. 25, but instead, Hamas violated the agreement and released four female soldiers—Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag—in return for 200 Palestinian prisoners as part of the cease-fire arrangement.
Hamas then accused Israel of disrupting the implementation of the cease-fire terms by blocking Palestinians’ route to return to northern Gaza. The terrorist group claimed it had provided assurances that Yehud will be freed.
Israel Says Hamas to Release Yehud
On Jan. 27, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel would move forward and was expecting the release of Yehud, soldier Agam Berger, and another hostage on Jan. 31. It warned that Israel will not tolerate another breach of the agreement by Hamas.
“We will continue to act for the return of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” his office stated on social media platform X.
Al-Ansari stated that Hamas had agreed to provide a full list of the hostages to be released in the first phase of the cease-fire agreement, while Israel will hand over a list of 400 Palestinian prisoners it has arrested since Oct. 7, 2023.
Netzarim Corridor Open
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed that Palestinians would be allowed to cross the Netzarim Corridor through al-Rashid Street on foot starting at 7 a.m. local time on Jan. 27.
Vehicles will also be allowed to move north after they are inspected on Salah al-Din road from 9 a.m. local time onward, he wrote on X. Salah al-Din is the main highway of the Gaza Strip.
Adraee emphasized that any transfer of terrorist fighters or weapons along these routes to the northern Gaza Strip would be considered a breach of the cease-fire agreement.
“Do not cooperate with any terrorist entity that may try to exploit you to transfer weapons or prohibited materials,” he said. “It is forbidden to go towards Israeli territory or approach the buffer zone.”
The hostage-for-prisoner exchange last week was the second group of hostages released since the cease-fire began on Jan. 19, when Hamas handed over three Israeli female civilians in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners.
Under the first phase of the cease-fire agreement, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Israel will also withdraw toward the east, pulling its armed forces away from the populated areas. Negotiations on the second and third phases are expected to take place at a later stage.
The U.S. Department of Defense has said that “portions of the arrangement remain sensitive,” and that both Israel and Hamas have agreed to maintain open channels of communication for “further confidence-building measures.” As part of the agreement, Hamas will be required to halt its rocket attacks against Israel during the cease-fire period.
The White House issued a statement following the Jan. 25 release of hostages, affirming the United States’s commitment “to push for the release of all remaining hostages and the pursuit of peace throughout the region.”
“Today the world celebrates as President Trump secured the release of four more Israeli hostages who were, for far too long, held against their will by Hamas in horrific conditions,” the statement reads.
Andrew Thornebrooke and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
