Israeli troops were preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the terms of the cease-fire agreement that went into effect a week ago.
Under the terms of the initial phase of the deal agreed to this month, Israel had been expected to withdraw some of its forces to allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans to head north after a hostage and prisoner exchange on Saturday.
But Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, accused Hamas on Saturday of violating the deal by not returning captive Israeli civilians first. Israeli officials said that under the agreement, Arbel Yehud, an Israeli held hostage in Gaza, was supposed to be one of the four women released on Saturday.
The hostages released were all soldiers who had been lookouts at a base on the Gaza border and were abducted from there on Oct. 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack on Israel that began the war.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that it would not allow Gazans to head north “until the release of the civilian Arbel Yehud has been arranged,” leaving the timing of the troop withdrawal and the residents’ return unclear.
Hamas on Sunday accused Israel of stalling and of breaching the agreement by preventing displaced Gazans from moving north.
In a statement, Hamas said that it had informed the mediators that Ms. Yehud was alive and had given “all the necessary guarantees for her release,” adding that it was following up with the mediators in the hope of resolving the dispute — one of the most significant between the parties since the cease-fire took effect after 15 months of devastating war.
The cease-fire deal was mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Hamas’s claims.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
