Israel on Saturday said that it would hold off on allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza after Hamas violated the terms of the ceasefire-hostage deal by not freeing female civilian captive Arbel Yehud.
The announcement came after Hamas instead freed four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag.
Following their return to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that after Hamas did not stand by the agreement to release Yehud, Israel would delay allowing Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip.
“Israel has received four female hostage soldiers from the Hamas terrorist group today, and in return will release security prisoners” according to the deal, the PMO said.
“In accordance with the agreement, Israel will not allow the passage of Gazans to the north of the Gaza Strip until the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, who was supposed to be released today, can be arranged” the statement added.
The decision was reportedly made during security consultations held by Netanyahu on Friday night, soon after Hamas had released the names of the four female soldiers it was freeing, but announced after the releases so as not to jeopardize them.
The announcement meant that the IDF would not withdrawal from part of the Netzarim Corridor on Sunday. The corridor bisects Gaza from east to west.
Israel had earlier this week conveyed to Hamas that it expected Yehud — who is thought to be held by fellow terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad — to be released this weekend. However, she was not named by Hamas on Friday. In November 2023, Yehud had been on the list to be released in the only previous hostage-truce deal, but the deal collapsed before the final scheduled group of releases.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement on Saturday that Hamas violated the hostage agreement with the release of the four female soldiers before releasing the civilian women. “Hamas did not abide by its obligation in the deal to free civilian women first,” he said.
Hagari said Israel will make sure that Yehud — who Israel believes to be alive — is released soon, along with Shiri Bibas and her children, adding, “We have heavy concerns for their fate.”
He said Israel expects more information on the Bibas family soon. Shiri Bibas is the only other female civilian hostage on the list of 33 yet to be freed in the first phase of the deal.
Hagari also said the military was “committed to the return of” Agam Berger, another surveillance soldier kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and all the other hostages. Berger was the only one of the five remaining female soldiers not released Saturday.
The five are among seven female soldiers abducted from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023. One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.
An official from the Hamas terror group told the Reuters news agency that mediators have been informed that Yehud is alive and will be released next Saturday.
A similar message was conveyed to the Al Jazeera network by the terror group. However, there was no formal announcement from Hamas on the matter and it was not clear why they did not release her as scheduled.
Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that Israel may demand that the Gaza terror groups provide some kind of sign of life or guarantee that Yehud was alive and will be released next Saturday, Channel 12 news reported.
However, the Kan public broadcaster said that Israel was in contact with the mediators in a bid to secure Yehud’s release before Saturday.
“We expect that Arbel Yehud will be freed in the next few days, before Saturday. If that happens, Gazans will be allowed to return to northern Gaza before Saturday,” an Israeli source told Kan.
In a statement, Yehud’s family said, “Our hearts filled with joy at the return of Karina, Daniella, Liri and Naama. We are waiting and expecting that the moment we can hug our Arbel will come as soon as possible.”
Following the announcement, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi wrapped up an assessment a short while ago with the heads of the military’s regional commands.
The IDF said Halevi spoke on the military’s preparations in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza and stressed the troops’ preparedness to remain there “until further notice.”
Under the deal, Israel was supposed to withdraw from the northern half of the corridor on day seven of the ceasefire to allow Palestinians to return to north Gaza via the coastal road.
On Saturday, the IDF reiterated its warning to Palestinians against returning to the northern Gaza Strip from its south via the Netzarim Corridor, where troops are still deployed.
“We confirm that all the instructions we issued are still in effect, especially the ban on approaching the Netzarim Corridor until it is announced that it is open,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says on X.
“The instructions will remain in effect until new instructions are issued with the transition to the next stage of the agreement and after Hamas [carries out] its commitments,” he says.
The Hamas-run interior ministry had said earlier that displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to northern Gaza starting Sunday. The ministry, which oversees police forces, said Palestinians will be able to move between southern and northern Gaza on foot through the coastal Rashid road.
Hamas is expected to provide Israel with details on the status of the 26 remaining hostages on the list later Saturday, providing long-sought specifics on which hostages are alive. There was concern in Jerusalem, however, that Hamas might merely provide an overall number of how many of the 26 are alive.