Israel blocks thousands from returning home to northern Gaza over ceasefire dispute

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip -- Israel kept thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes successful bluish Gaza connected Sunday arsenic it accused Hamas of violating a fragile ceasefire by changing the bid of hostages it has released. Local wellness officials said Israeli forces fired connected the crowd, sidesplitting 2 radical and wounding nine.

Israeli forces besides opened occurrence successful Lebanon connected protesters demanding their withdrawal by Sunday's deadline nether a abstracted ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Health officials successful Lebanon said astatine slightest 22 radical were killed and implicit 120 wounded. Israel says it hasn't withdrawn due to the fact that Lebanese forces are not deploying rapidly enough, portion Lebanon says its forces cannot determination into areas until Israeli troops leave.

U.S. President Donald Trump meantime suggested that astir of Gaza's colonisation beryllium astatine slightest temporarily resettled elsewhere, including successful Egypt and Jordan, to "just cleanable out" the war-ravaged enclave. Jordan and the Palestinians swiftly rejected that, and Egypt has antecedently rejected the scenario, fearing Israel mightiness ne'er let refugees to return.

ALSO READ: Trump wants Egypt, Jordan to instrumentality successful Palestinians from Gaza

Senior Hamas authoritative Bassem Naim said Palestinians would ne'er judge specified a proposal, "even if seemingly well-intentioned nether the guise of reconstruction." He said the Palestinians tin rebuild Gaza "even amended than before" if Israel lifts its blockade.

Under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Israel connected Saturday was to statesman allowing Palestinians to instrumentality to their homes successful bluish Gaza done the Netzarim corridor bisecting the territory. Israel enactment that connected clasp until Hamas frees a civilian hostage who Israel said should person been released Saturday. Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement.

Crowds of radical carrying their belongings filled a main roadworthy starring to a closed Israeli checkpoint. "We person been successful agony for a twelvemonth and a half," said Nadia Qasem.

Fadi al-Sinwar, besides displaced from Gaza City, said "the destiny of much than a cardinal radical is linked to 1 person," referring to the Israeli hostage, Arbel Yehoud.

"See however invaluable we are? We are worthless," helium said.

Displaced Palestinians with their belongings stitchery adjacent a roadblock connected Salah al-Din Street, arsenic they hold to instrumentality to their homes successful bluish portion of Gaza Strip, Jan. 26, 2025.

AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana

Dispute and shootings trial fragile ceasefire

Israeli forces fired connected the crowds connected 3 occasions overnight and into Sunday, sidesplitting 2 radical and wounding nine, including a child, according to Al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties.

Israel's subject successful a connection said it fired informing shots astatine "several gatherings of dozens of suspects who were advancing toward the troops and posed a menace to them."

Israel has pulled backmost from respective areas of Gaza nether the ceasefire, which came into effect past Sunday. The subject has warned radical to enactment distant from its forces, which inactive run successful a buffer portion wrong Gaza on the borderline and successful the Netzarim corridor.

Hamas freed 4 pistillate Israeli soldiers connected Saturday, and Israel released immoderate 200 Palestinian prisoners, astir of whom were serving beingness sentences aft being convicted of deadly attacks. But Israel said Yehoud should person been released up of the soldiers.

Israel besides accused Hamas of failing to supply details connected the conditions of hostages acceptable to beryllium freed successful the remaining 5 weeks of the ceasefire's archetypal phase.

In a statement, Hamas said it had told mediators - the United States, Egypt and Qatar - that Yehoud was live and provided guarantees that she would beryllium released.

A spokesperson for Gaza's second-largest militant group, Islamic Jihad, aboriginal said the quality implicit Yehoud had been settled. Mohamed al-Hajj Mousa said the radical told mediators she volition beryllium released earlier Saturday. But an Israeli official, speaking connected information of anonymity to sermon the behind-the-scenes talks, said determination was inactive nary deal.

Aerial photograph taken by a drone shows displaced Palestinians gathering with their belongings adjacent a roadblock connected the al Rashid Street, arsenic they hold to instrumentality to their homes.

AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi

Ending the warfare volition beryllium difficult

The ceasefire is aimed astatine ending the 15-month warfare triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught and freeing hostages inactive held successful Gaza successful instrumentality for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Around 90 hostages are inactive successful Gaza, and Israeli authorities judge astatine slightest a third, and up to half, person died.

Itzik Horn, the begetter of hostages Iair and Eitan Horn, called immoderate resumption of warring "a decease condemnation for the hostages" and criticized authorities ministers who privation the warfare to spell on.

The ceasefire's archetypal signifier runs until aboriginal March and includes the merchandise of 33 hostages and astir 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The 2nd - and acold much hard - phase, has yet to beryllium negotiated. Hamas has said it volition not merchandise the remaining hostages without an extremity to the war, portion Israel has threatened to resume its violative until Hamas is destroyed.

Hamas-led militants killed immoderate 1,200 radical successful the Oct. 7 attack, mostly civilians, and abducted astir 250. More than 100 were freed during a weeklong ceasefire successful November 2023. Israeli forces person rescued 8 surviving hostages and recovered the remains of dozens more, astatine slightest 3 of them mistakenly killed by Israeli forces. Seven person been freed successful the latest ceasefire.

Israel's subject run has killed implicit 47,000 Palestinians, much than fractional of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not accidental however galore of the dormant were combatants. The Israeli subject says it has killed implicit 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

Israeli bombardment and crushed operations person flattened wide swaths of Gaza and displaced astir 90% of its colonisation of 2.3 cardinal people. Many who person returned location since the ceasefire began person recovered lone mounds of rubble.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo and Krauss from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Josef Federman successful Jerusalem contributed.