Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that Hamas will release civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud and two others on Thursday. In exchange, Israel will allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning.
Under the updated agreement, Hamas will release three additional hostages on Saturday, including soldier Agam Berger. The status of these hostages and others was shared with Israel by Hamas as part of the ceasefire terms.
Palestinians displaced to southern Gaza will now be permitted to travel back to northern areas, a significant shift in policy following delays caused by alleged breaches of the ceasefire. According to Qatar’s foreign ministry, Israel has also committed to providing Hamas with a list of 400 Palestinian detainees held since October 7, 2023.
The deal follows frustrations from tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians waiting to return. “A sea of people is waiting for a signal to move back to Gaza City and the north,” said Tamer al Burai, a displaced resident of Gaza City. “They want to put up tents next to the rubble of their houses. They want to feel home.”
The delay over the weekend was tied to Israel’s insistence on the immediate release of Arbel Yehoud, a civilian woman, as part of the original ceasefire agreement. While she wasn’t released on schedule, four Israeli female soldiers were freed, and 200 Palestinian prisoners were welcomed in the West Bank.
With Monday marking the reopening of northern Gaza and further hostages set to be freed, the deal signals ongoing, though fragile, negotiations aimed at maintaining the ceasefire.
