KEY POINTS
- Israel blocks displaced Palestinians from returning to their destroyed home in northern Gaza.
- Hamas releases four female Israeli soldiers.
- Israel will release 200 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal.
- Over 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s bombardments in Gaza.
GAZA CITY: Israel on Saturday blocked the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza, linking the restriction to the release of hostage, Arbel Yehud, who remains in Hamas custody.
“Israel will not allow the passage of Gazans to the northern part of the Gaza Strip until the release of civilian Arbel Yehud is arranged,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, “Hamas did not comply with the ceasefire agreement on its obligation to return civilian females first.”
Two Hamas sources, as cited by AFP, said that Yehud was “alive and in good health”. AFP cited a Hamas source as saying that she will be “released as part of the third swap set for next Saturday”, February 1.
Earlier today, Hamas handed over four captive female Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross in Gaza City after parading them in front of a crowd.
The four smiled broadly as they waved and gave the thumbs-up from a stage in Gaza City’s Palestine Square, Hamas fighters on either side of them and a crowd of thousands watching, before they were led off to the waiting for Red Cross vehicles.
Israel was set to release 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees later in the day as part of the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Israel, meanwhile, released 70 Palestinian prisoners into Egypt, according to Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV, which said they had arrived on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.
Egypt served as a key mediator in more than a year of talks that led to the truce agreement. Many of the 200 Palestinian prisoners set for release on Saturday are to be sent into exile.
As the four soldiers were released, hundreds of people cheered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square where they were watching the drama unfold on a big screen television.
Israel confirmed that the hostages were with its forces not long after they were driven away from the handover in Gaza City by the Red Cross.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said that Arbel Yehoud, a civilian hostage held by Hamas, was supposed to have been released Saturday.
It said Israel would not allow Palestinians to begin returning to northern Gaza until she is freed.
The crowds in Tel Aviv and also in Gaza City began gathering earlier in the day in anticipation of the second such exchange between Israel and Hamas since a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip last weekend.
The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza.
The fragile truce deal has so far held, quieting Israeli airstrikes and allowing for increased aid to flow into the devastated Palestinian territory.
ALSO READ: Israel to Free 200 Palestinian Prisoners
When the ceasefire started on Sunday, three hostages held by Hamas were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, all women and children.
The four Israeli soldiers: Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20; Naama Levy, 20; and Liri Albag, 19; were captured in Hamas’ October 7 2023 attack.
Israel’s air and ground attacks, one of the deadliest and most destructive in decades, have killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
They say women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
