On the Israel-Hamas Agreement in the War for the Return of the Last Humans in the Gaza Strip: An Inquiry from a Disdisplaced Person

As Israel and Hamas sparred over implementation of a cease-fire deal, the Palestinians were left wondering when they would be able to return to their homes in the northern part of Gaza.

Arbel Yehud, one of the last civilians to be held in Gaza, will not be allowed to travel north of Gaza until plans are made for her release.

The deputy head of the other major Gaza militant group, Islamic Jihad, told Al Jazeera that they were willing to accept Yehud would bereleased before next Saturday “to remove the pretext” that Israel was trying to block the return of residents.

The cease-fire agreement was accused of being delayed by Israel. The cease-fire took effect a week ago, and the dispute was one of the most significant between the parties.

The holdup left many Palestinians in a state of anxious waiting, as they were already packing their belongings, including kitchen supplies, clothing and mattress pads.

On Saturday, the Arabic spokesman of the Israeli military posted on social media that he was still forbidden from approaching the corridor connecting central Gaza to the north without clarifying when it would change.

Ibrahim Abdulwahed, a displaced man in the central city of Deir al-Balah, said everyone is worried and cautious. He said he was hopeful Israel and Hamas would resolve the issue.

Some people said their excitement about returning home was counterbalanced by fear about the damage caused by Israeli bombardment.

Nour Qasim, 22, a displaced person in central Gaza, said that her husband and she had been waiting for this day with so much anticipation, but that she was frightened about seeing the destruction on the way back.

The First Day of Gaza War: The Female Soldiers who were Captured in 2023 by a Hamas Attack on the Red Cross

The female soldiers were taken hostage in the fall of 2023 by fighters from Hamas in Gaza, but they have now regained their freedom.

The five teens were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza on Saturday and then moved to Israel with an Israeli convoy.

The handover to the Red Cross took place on Palestine Square in Gaza City in a Hamas-run military-style ceremony. The fighters wore signature green headbands and wore black balaclavas around the square. Spectators clambered on rubble and wrecked vehicles to get a look, waving Palestinian and Hamas flags.

The Hamas-organized event was in sharp contrast to the first handover of hostages last Sunday, when three Israeli civilian women were released amidst an unruly crowd.

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. Behind them banners with slogans condemned Israel.

Israeli officials have said Hamas has forced hostages to smile and wave as part of a propaganda effort aimed at conveying the message that the group was treating its captives well. One former hostage reported that she was sexually assault and tortured during her captivity.

Hamas won’t release remaining hostages unless the war is over and Israeli leaders have said they intend to continue with the conflict.

Four women were released on Saturday because they were in Unit 414 of the Field Intelligence Battalion when Hamas set their base on fire.

According to the Israeli military, 66 soldiers were killed and seven females were taken hostage at the base, located on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Agam Berger, who is still in Hamas’ possession, was one of the three who did not attend Saturday’s handover. The bodies of Ori Megidish and NoaMarciano were recovered in Gaza by Israeli soldiers in October of that year.

The military’s failure to prevent the Hamas attack has raised questions in Israel. 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.

The spokesman for the Israeli military, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, described the handover ceremony as a cynical one, in which Hamas proved its cruelty.

The soldiers who were taken captive by the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October of 90’s arrived at the square in a convoy of SUVs. The hostages were led onto the stage in military-style fatigues, which seemed to make a point that they were not civilians.

Four hostages were handed over on Saturday, which was an even more elaborate stunt than the three other female hostages that were released last Sunday.

Hamas: Palestinian Resilience to Israel’s Violation of the Fourth Amendment and the First Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the Mid-Atlantic Strip

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 stage held a banner bearing a message in Hebrew: “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 first six-week phase of the deal, mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, took effect last weekend and is designed to see almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners swapped for 33 Israeli hostages, with women and children prioritized.

Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground offensive inside Gaza has forced the vast majority of its 2.1 million residents to leave their homes, and severely damaged large parts of the territory. There are piles of rubble that remain when you return to your home in recent days.

A senior military official in Hamas, who uses the name Abu Ahmed, says that the U.S., China and Egypt have given guarantees that Yehud is in good health.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Hsafadi said on social media that his country’s “rejection of displacement is fixed and unchangeable.” A statement from the office of the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, said it “expressed its strong rejection and condemnation of any projects aimed at displacing our people from the Gaza Strip,” and urged Trump to focus on “achieving peace and establishing an independent Palestinian state.”

The suggestion was rejected by both the Jordanian government and the Palestinian Authority, as well as Arab-Israeli lawmakers.

The Lebanese Army said its own inability to move troops into those positions was only because Israeli troops had not yet left the area, and that Israeli troops had killed at least one Lebanese army soldier.

Under the terms of a separate peace agreement signed with the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, Israeli forces were supposed to have fully withdrawn from Lebanese territory Sunday.