The Israeli-Hamas-Israel Interaction During the Fourth Phase of the Gaza Liberation Process and the Detention of a Palestinian Prisoner
Displaced Palestinians in southern and central Gaza were left wondering on Saturday when Israel would permit them to return to their homes in the northern part of the territory, as Israel and Hamas sparred over the implementation of the cease-fire deal.
Israel will not allow any movement to the north of Gaza until plans are put together for the release of one of the last civilians in captivity in Gaza.
Seven Israelis have been freed from captivity by Hamas as a result of the ceasefire agreement. Israel, in exchange, has said it will release around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees during this first phase of the ceasefire deal, with 90 released last week and around another 200 or so expected to be let go later Saturday.
The cease- fire agreement was accused by Hamas of not being implemented by Israel. The dispute was one of the most significant between the parties since the cease-fire took effect a week ago.
The Palestinians were already packing their belongings when the holdup happened and they were anxious as a result.
The spokesman for the Israeli military posted on social media that it was still not allowed to approach the corridor linking central Gaza to the north without knowing when it would change.
Ibrahim Abdulwahed, 40, a man who was displaced from the city of Deir al-Balah, said that everyone was worried and cautious. He said he was hopeful Israel and Hamas would resolve the issue.
Others said their excitement about returning home was mixed with fears about the devastation they would encounter after 15 months of Israeli bombardment.
There was so much anticipation for this day, and Nour said that she was afraid about the destruction she would see on her way back.
A Hamas-run celebration of the release of four Israeli field observers from the 2003 fall of Gaza: Violations, abuse, and reintegration
The release of the four female soldiers who were taken captive in the fall of 2003 has been a long time coming.
Liri Albag, 19; Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20; and Naama Levy, 20 were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza early Saturday morning, and transferred to an Israeli convoy to cross the border into Israel.
The handover to the Red Cross took place on Palestine Square in Gaza City in a Hamas-run military-style ceremony. Phalanxes of armed fighters in uniform, wearing black balaclavas and signature green headbands, were arrayed around the square. Spectators waving Hamas and Palestinian flags clambered on rubble and wrecked vehicles to view the scene.
The first handover of hostages last week was disrupted by an unruly crowd, but the Hamas-organized event was calm and orderly.
The four young women, who were in their pajamas when they were taken captive 476 days ago, were paraded in soldiers’ uniforms onto a stage at the head of the square in Gaza City. There are banners with slogans next to them.
Hamas is said to have force hostages to smile and wave as part of a propaganda attempt to show that their captives are being treated well. Former hostages, however, have reported being abused, including one who spoke publicly about being sexually assaulted and tortured.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages unless an end to the war is guaranteed, but Israeli leaders have repeatedly said they intend to continue with the conflict until Hamas is extinguished as a fighting force in Gaza.
The four women released on Saturday were serving as field observers in Unit 414 of the Field Intelligence Battalion when Hamas militants stormed their base on the border with Gaza and set it on fire.
There were 66 Israeli soldiers killed and seven were taken hostages in a base located on kibbutz Nahal Oz, according to the military. The three who were not part of Saturday’s handover are Agam Berger, 20, who remains in Hamas’ hands; Cpl. Ori Megidish was rescued by soldiers from the Gaza Strip in October of that year, after NoaMarciano’s body was recovered by Israeli troops in November of that year.
Israel’s military has been under scrutiny over its failure to prevent the Hamas attack. Members of the female observer team had warned repeatedly that Hamas fighters appeared to be engaging in maneuvers suggesting that an attempt to infiltrate into Israel was imminent, but the warnings were not taken seriously by male commanders.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman of the Israeli military, said Hamas proved its “cruelty” during Saturday’s handover, which he described as a “cynical ceremony.”
In the convoy of SUVs, the soldiers were taken from a base on the Gaza border and kidnapped in October of 1943. They were dressed in military-style fatigues, which seemed to make a point that the hostages were soldiers, not civilians.
Four hostages were handed over on Saturday in an even more elaborate stunt than the three other females who were released last Sunday.
The Gaza Campaign: “The Israeli Army is going to work against Zion and Aleppo,” Hamas, Israel, and the Middle East
On Saturday, Hamas set up a stage in Palestine Square in the center of Gaza City — an area devastated by Israel’s bombing campaign and ground incursion. The banner was in Hebrew and said: “Zionism will not win.” There were hundreds of masked, uniformed fighters and people nearby.
Israeli troops have rescued eight hostages alive, and recovered the bodies of dozens of others, a small number of which were killed during Israeli military operations.
The deal, brokered by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, will see almost 200 Palestinian prisoners exchanged for 33 Israeli hostages, with women and children taken into account.
The attack by the militant group killed over a thousand people. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign.
A senior military official in Hamas, who issues statements under a nom du guerre, Abu Ahmed, said the mediators — the U.S., Qatar and Egypt — had been given guarantees that Yehud was “alive and in good health.”
The entire Middle East was angry when Trump suggested that a large percentage of the residents of Gaza could be moved to Egypt and Jordan.
Both the Jordanian government and the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejected the suggestion, as did Arab-Israeli lawmakers.
Israel said it had not yet withdrawn forces from the area — despite its earlier assurances it would do so this weekend — because Lebanese army units were not yet available to replace their positions, and it was not sure that Hezbollah had removed all its fighters from the area.
Under the ceasefire’s terms that took effect on Jan. 19, Israel has pulled its forces from several parts of Gaza, and continues to warn residents to keep their distance from its military units.