A Hamas representative announced that Israeli forces have finalized their withdrawal from a crucial roadway through Gaza, which is part of a delicate truce agreement that Israel stated it is following through on.
“Israeli troops have dismantled their installations and military posts, and have entirely removed their tanks from the Netzarim Corridor on Salaheddin Road, enabling vehicles to transit freely in both directions,” said an official from the Hamas-run ministry of interior.
An AFP journalist in the Netzarim region, which manages vital access routes between the northern and southern parts of the area, reported that no Israeli troops were present this morning.
AFP reporters observed cars, buses, pickup trucks, and donkey carts traversing Salaheddin Road from both directions, crossing the Netzarim Corridor where an Israeli checkpoint previously existed.
A displaced Palestinian individual assesses damage to his residence in Gaza City after navigating the Netzarim corridor.
AFP could not independently confirm the specifics of the ceasefire agreement, as the text has not been disclosed.
When queried about the withdrawal, an unnamed Israeli security official commented, “We are preparing to implement the ceasefire agreement as per the political leadership’s directives.”
The conflict ignited with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and after several months of unproductive negotiations, a ceasefire was established just before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump for a second term.
Children are observed in a vehicle returning to southern Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the corridor.
The 2023 assault, which marked the deadliest event in Israeli history, resulted in 1,210 fatalities, primarily among civilians, according to an AFP count of official Israeli statistics.
Hamas took 251 individuals hostage into Gaza, with 73 still held in the territory, including 34 that the Israeli military reports as deceased.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 48,181 individuals have died in the Palestinian territory due to the conflict.
As outlined in the truce terms, Israel and Hamas are engaged in numerous rounds of hostage-prisoner exchanges.
The fifth such exchange occurred yesterday, resulting in the release of three Israeli hostages and 183 Palestinian prisoners.
An aerial view reveals a segment of the roadway this morning.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Hamas as “monsters” following the transfer of the three captives, who appeared malnourished and were compelled to speak on stage prior to their release.
The hospital caring for the hostages reported that Or Levy and Eli Sharabi were in “poor medical condition”, while Ohad Ben Ami was described as being in a “severe nutritional state”.
“Dad, is it really you? I can’t believe you’re here,” exclaimed one of Ben Ami’s daughters, her eyes wide with astonishment, as she embraced her father at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital.
“Yes, I’m here,” Ben Ami replied, embracing his family who had been anxiously awaiting his return.
Among the prisoners released from Israeli jails, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group stated that seven required hospitalization and denounced the “brutality” and mistreatment they faced in prison.
“We always dreamed that this would happen, that one day the prison director would be compelled to open the gates,” said freed prisoner Shadi Barghouti, still wearing a gray prison tracksuit.
Read more: Latest Middle East stories. Netanyahu declares Israel will follow through on Trump’s Gaza plan.
The recent exchange occurred as discussions were about to commence regarding the next stage of the ceasefire, aimed at paving the way for a permanent cessation of hostilities.
However, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim remarked yesterday that Israel’s delays and “lack of commitment in implementing the first phase… puts this agreement at risk and it may cease or collapse”.
This week, Mr. Trump incited international outrage by suggesting that the US should take control of the Gaza Strip and evacuate its inhabitants.
He proposed that Egypt or Jordan could accommodate Palestinians from Gaza—an idea both nations have categorically rejected.
This week, the Israeli defense minister directed the army to prepare for “voluntary” evacuations from Gaza, as Trump dismissed the prospect of sending American troops to the area.
In an interview with Fox News yesterday, Mr. Netanyahu praised the initiative, asserting that Israel was ready to “handle the task”.
“I believe that President Trump’s proposal is the first innovative idea in years, with the potential to transform everything in Gaza,” stated Mr. Netanyahu.
“All Trump is suggesting is to ‘open the gate and give them a chance to temporarily relocate while we physically rebuild the area’,” Mr. Netanyahu added.
Mr. Trump “never stated he wants American troops to take action. Let me tell you something? We’ll take care of it,” Mr. Netanyahu concluded.
