Hamas will release six hostages this week and Israel will allow Gaza residents to return to their homes in the north starting Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Among the hostages was Arbel Yehud, a civilian at the center of an incident that led Israel to delay the return of Gaza residents to northern Gaza.
Hamas released four soldiers on Saturday, but not Mr. Yehud. Israel has accused Hamas of violating a cease-fire agreement that required first rescuing Israeli civilians in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Since the ceasefire agreement went into effect, seven hostages and less than 300 prisoners have been released.
Thousands of Palestinian refugees trying to reach northern Gaza have gathered at a military barrier blocking their advance for two days.
The ceasefire and agreement to release hostages and prisoners came into effect on January 19. Two exchanges have been completed.
In the third case, Hamas will release Mr Yehud and two other hostages on Thursday and three more on Saturday, Qatar, which brokered talks with Netanyahu, said.
Israel will allow Palestinians to travel north starting Monday and is expected to release more Palestinian prisoners later this week.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Palestinians were to be allowed to travel north of the Netcharim Corridor on Saturday, a 7-kilometer stretch of land controlled by Israel that cuts off the north from the rest of the Gaza Strip. .
Images show large crowds waiting to pass.
“We are sleeping on the streets,” Nirim Musabe told the BBC at a checkpoint on Sunday. “We can’t go home, and every time we try to go home, they shoot at us.”
The 42-year-old woman emigrated from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza but was evicted from her home in Shejaiya, in the south.
Diab Shehbari said he had been at the checkpoint since 20:30 local time (18:30 GMT) on Saturday.
“The children screamed all night because of the cold. We made a fire and covered them,” he said.
Israel said it would allow residents to return to northern Gaza from 7am GMT on Monday after the conflict over Mr Yehud was resolved, and to return to their vehicles two hours later.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators, who facilitated talks between Israel and Hamas, have joined efforts to end the conflict. The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced the landmark moment in front of the Israeli Prime Minister.
Israel has asked mediators to provide Hamas with proof that Mr. Yehud is alive. The BBC understands that this information was relayed to Egyptians as early as Saturday evening.
early on sunday, US President Donald Trump has said he wants Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.He described it as a “demolition site”.
Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority condemned the proposal, while Jordan and Egypt also rejected it.
The January ceasefire agreement halted a war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s offensive killed a majority of Palestinians as civilians, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said.
