Displaced Palestinians seeking to reach northern Gaza have gathered at the military barrier that has obstructed their path for the past two days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Hamas will release Yehud along with two other hostages on Friday, with three more scheduled to be released later. As part of the ceasefire agreement terms, Palestinians were expected to be able to move to the north of the Netzarim Corridor, an area controlled by Israel that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the territory.
Israel has agreed to allow residents to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip starting at 07:00 on Monday, with the possibility of traveling in vehicles two hours later, after the situation surrounding Yehud is clarified. Netanyahu has stated that six hostages will be released by Hamas this week, thus facilitating the return of residents from northern Gaza to their homes starting Monday.
One of the central figures in this conflict has been Arbel Yehud, amid a dispute that caused Israel to delay the return of Gaza residents to the north. Although Hamas has recently released four soldiers, Yehud still remains in custody, leading Israel to accuse Hamas of breaching the ceasefire agreement. The release of Israeli civilians was conditioned on the release of Palestinian prisoners, and since the ceasefire came into effect, seven hostages and more than 200 prisoners have been released.
It has been reported that proof of life for Yehud was delivered to Egyptian mediators on Saturday afternoon, thus creating a breakthrough in the situation and paving the way for future releases.
