Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Sunday (Jan 26) announced that the Palestinian militant group Hamas will release six hostages this week, including Arbel Yehud, whose absence in prior releases had delayed the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza.
This comes as Netanyahu announced that he would not allow the passage of Gazans northward through the Netzarim Corridor—until the issue of the return of Arbel Yehud is resolved.
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Row over Arbel Yehud
Israel wanted Yehud, who is a civilian, to be among the hostages who were released by the Hamas on Saturday (Jan 25). The militant group however released four female Israeli soldiers instead.
The ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on 19 January, has already seen the exchange of seven hostages and over 200 Palestinian prisoners. Israel, however, claimed Hamas "breached" the deal by not releasing civilian hostages first.
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"Hamas has backtracked and will carry out an additional phase of releasing hostages this Thursday," Netanyahu's office said in a statement confirming that three hostages would be freed on Thursday, with three more set for release on Saturday.
Return to Northern Gaza
Israel also said it would allow displaced Gazans to return north of the Netzarim Corridor starting Monday at 07:00 local time (09:00 GMT). This seven-kilometre stretch is controlled by Israel and cuts off north Gaza from the rest of the territory.
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The resolution of the dispute over Yehud's release comes after proof of her wellbeing was provided to Egyptian mediators as early as Saturday evening, reports BBC. This breakthrough came hours after US President Donald Trump proposed relocating Gazans to Egypt and Jordan—an idea condemned by Palestinian leaders and firmly rejected by both countries.
The January ceasefire has paused violence that was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which left 1,200 dead and resulted in 251 hostages taken to Gaza. So far, in the war, over 47,200 Palestinian deaths have been reported.
(With inputs from agencies)