International mediators successfully addressed disputes regarding fragile ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon late on Sunday, following incidents that threatened the agreements amid clashes between the Israeli military and civilians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Hamas would release three hostages in Gaza on Thursday, including Arbel Yehud, marking a resolution to a significant issue in the Gaza ceasefire that began one week prior.
In exchange, Israel will permit displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes in the northern part of the devastated territory starting Monday.
The matter of Yehud’s release had created tension in the US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas, despite the earlier release of four female Israeli soldiers from Gaza and 200 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.
Israeli officials accused Hamas, the militant group governing Gaza, of violating the agreement by releasing the soldiers prior to Yehud, who is considered to be the last living civilian female hostage in Gaza.
In response, Israel postponed its withdrawal from the strategically important Netzarim corridor, which spans north-south in Gaza, preventing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from returning to the northern part of the area as outlined in the accord.
Over the weekend, many Palestinians gathered near the corridor, with some families enduring the winter conditions outside.
The Israeli military reported that it fired warning shots at gatherings of individuals approaching troops, who were perceived as a potential threat.
Gaza’s health authorities reported that two individuals were killed and nine others were injured during the clashes on Sunday.
Mediators from the US, Qatar, and Egypt managed to resolve the issue by ensuring an additional hostage release this Thursday, including Yehud.
The planned weekly hostage release for the following Saturday is still set to proceed, with expectations for three more Israelis to be freed, as indicated by Israeli officials. In turn, several hundred Palestinian prisoners are also slated to be released from Israeli jails.
On Sunday, Hamas provided Israel with a list of remaining hostages, outlining their status as part of the initial six-week ceasefire agreement.
The conflict in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 250 hostages.
Israel’s military response has led to over 47,000 casualties in Gaza, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in the region.
US President Donald Trump has urged Egypt and Jordan to accommodate a large portion of Gaza’s population, suggesting it was time to “clean out” the territory, though both countries rejected this proposal.
Additionally, Trump’s administration announced the extension of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which was established last November through American mediation, until February 18.
This agreement ended over a year of conflict between Israel and Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant group that had been conducting attacks in solidarity with Hamas.
Israel indicated last week that it would not comply with a two-month deadline set for Sunday for withdrawing its military from southern Lebanon.
The country claimed that the Lebanese army’s deployment in areas abandoned by Israeli and Hizbollah forces was insufficient to meet the timeline.
With Israeli forces still present in Lebanon, many residents faced gunfire as they attempted to return on foot to their homes.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported 22 fatalities and 124 injuries on Sunday.
photo credit: www.ft.com
