Jan 26, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Israel to let Palestinians move to northern Gaza after hostage standoff ends

Barak Ravid

People gather by a banner welcoming people near the rubble of a collapsed building along Gaza's coastal al-Rashid Street for people to cross from the Israeli-blocked Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip into Gaza City on January 26, 2025. — People gather by a banner welcoming people near the rubble of a collapsed building along Gaza's coastal al-Rashid Street for people to cross from the Israeli-blocked Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip into Gaza City on Sunday. Photo: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images

Israel will allow displaced Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza strip from Monday morning after Qatari and Egyptian mediators managed to solve the crisis over the release of an Israeli held hostage in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister's office said.

Why it matters: The failure by Hamas to release Arbel Yehud, a civilian woman, on Saturday as the hostage and ceasefire deal stipulated created a crisis that raised concerns that the agreement could collapse a week after it came into force.

The return of Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza is one of the key deliverables Hamas demanded as part of the deal.
Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians have been waiting in the past two days along the Netzarim corridor south of Gaza city waiting for the IDF to withdraw its forces and allow them to move north.

Catch up quick: On Friday, when Hamas gave Israel the list of four hostages that were expected to be released the next day it didn't include Arbel Yehud. Instead it included four women soldiers.

According to the hostage deal, civilians women are released ahead of women soldiers.
The Israelis protested to the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, but didn't stop the implementation of the deal.
On Saturday, after the four soldier were release Israel announced it will not allow Palestinians to go back to northern Gaza until Arbel Yehud is released.
The Israelis also asked White House envoy Steve Witkoff to intervene and demand the Qatari and Egyptian mediators to press Hamas.

Driving the news: On Sunday night local time, after 36 hours of negotiations the Qatari foreign ministry announced that an agreement had been reached to overcome the crisis.

According to the agreement, Israel will allow Palestinians to move to northern Gaza starting Monday morning, the Qatari foreign ministry said.

Hamas, for its part, will release Arbel Yehud and two other hostages on Thursday and three more hostages on Saturday. This will double the number of hostages that will be released this week.

State of play: After the agreement was reached, Hamas gave Israel a document with information about the remaining 26 hostages it is supposed to release in the first phase of the deal.

An Israeli official said the list didn't include names but only data about the condition of the hostages. The official said that 18 out of the 26 remaining hostages in phase one of the deal are alive — a similar number to prior Israeli assessments.

Go deeper: Trump calls to "clean out" Gaza and move Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan

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Israel to let Palestinians move to northern Gaza after hostage standoff ends

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