Hosni Nadim
26 January 2025•Update: 27 January 2025
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Palestinian resistance group Hamas accused Israel on Sunday of violating a ceasefire agreement by blocking the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza.
"The Israeli occupation is delaying the implementation of the terms of the agreement,” Hamas said in a statement.
Israel said it will not allow the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza until Israeli captive Arbel Yehud is released.
Hamas said that it informed mediators that Yehud is alive and has provided all necessary guarantees for her release.
“We are following up with the mediators to find a solution to this issue in a way that ensures the return of the displaced to their homes as soon as possible,” it said, holding Israel “fully responsible” for delaying the return of displaced civilians.
It also reiterated commitment to upholding the terms of the ceasefire agreement “to protect the interests and rights of the Palestinian people.”
According to Israeli news website Walla, Yehud, 29, has been trained under Israel’s military space program and is classified as a soldier.
The first six-week phase of the agreement took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.
Seven Israeli captives, including four soldiers, have so far been released in return for 290 Palestinian prisoners since the deal came into force.
The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi
