As part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement, Israel has commenced the withdrawal of its forces from the Netzarim corridor, a key route dividing northern and southern Gaza. This move is seen as a significant step towards fulfilling the terms of the truce, which aims to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. However, the fragile peace remains uncertain, with negotiations for an extension facing challenges and little progress on the second phase of the deal.
Israel agreed as part of the truce to remove its forces from the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land that bisects northern Gaza from the south. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss troop movement with the media. At the start of the ceasefire, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to head to their homes in the war-battered north and the withdrawal of forces from the area will fulfill another commitment to the deal.
The 42-day ceasefire is just past its halfway point and the sides are supposed to negotiate an extension that would lead to more Israeli hostages being freed from Hamas captivity. But the agreement is fragile and the extension isn’t guaranteed. The sides are meant to begin talks on the truce’s second stage but there appears to have been little progress. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sending a delegation to Qatar, a key mediator in talks between the sides, but the mission included low-level officials, sparking speculation that it won’t lead to a breakthrough in extending the truce. Netanyahu is expected to convene a meeting of key Cabinet ministers this week on the second phase of the deal, but it was not clear when. The deal stipulates that Israeli troops will pull back from populated areas of Gaza and that on day 22, which is Sunday, Palestinians will be allowed to head north from a central road that crosses through Netzarim, without being inspected by Israeli forces. In the second phase, all remaining hostages would be released in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a “sustainable calm.”
Israel Gaza Ceasefire Netzarim Corridor Hamas Hostage Release Peace Negotiations
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