Displaced Palestinians begin to return home
BEIRUT — Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza began a long-awaited journey home Monday morning after Israel and Hamas resolved a hostage dispute overnight that had threatened the fragile ceasefire agreement. Hamas provided Israel with the names of living hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal, saying that eight of the 33 hostages are dead, according to Basem Naim, a senior official with the group.
Video footage showed throngs of people walking along the coastal al-Rashid road, marking the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war that Israel has allowed Palestinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor, which splits the enclave in two, and enter the north, where some of the worst fighting and destruction has happened.
Hamas called the return a “victory” against what it said were plans for the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Israeli troops had been blocking passage along the corridor because an Israeli hostage, 29-year-old Arbel Yehud, was not among the female captives Israel said Hamas had agreed to release first. A spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the two sides had reached an “understanding” for Hamas to release Yehud and two other hostages before Friday. Three more hostages will be released Saturday, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office.
The statement, issued Sunday, said Israel had also received a list detailing the status of all the hostages who are to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire, including whether they are alive or dead. Israeli officials and families of hostages have sought that information since the deadly Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023. David Mencer, a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister’s office, confirmed Monday that eight of the hostages are dead and said their families have been notified.
Seven living hostages have already been freed since the ceasefire began, and 18 more, as well as the remains of the eight who died, are to be released in the coming weeks.
In Lebanon, a ceasefire that was set to expire Sunday was extended to Feb. 18, according to the White House and the Lebanese government. The extension came after Israel said it would not withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon by Sunday and as Lebanese civilians, encouraged by Hezbollah, marched into occupied villages, where many were met with Israeli fire. Twenty-four people were killed and 134 injured, Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday.
Here’s what else to know
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the ceasefires with Gaza and Lebanon will be “strictly enforced.” In a statement on social media, he said anyone who threatens Israel’s military or violates the rules “will bear the full consequences. We will not allow a return to the reality of October 7th.”
The European Union is lifting some sanctions against Syria, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Monday, as part of a process that E.U. leaders have called a “step-for-step” approach to Syria linking sanctions relief to conditions, including that the country’s new Islamist leaders govern inclusively.
President Donald Trump said over the weekend he wanted Jordan and Egypt to take in more Palestinian refugees as part of a plan to “clean out” Gaza, a controversial approach previously advocated by Israel’s right wing and military hard-liners.
Newly confirmed U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone Sunday. According to a readout released by the secretary’s office, the pair discussed the “unbreakable bond that exists between the United States and Israel” and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Israel’s self-defense.
Hazem Balousha contributed to this report.
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