Israel: Residents of Northern Gaza Cannot Return Until Arbel Yehud is Freed

On Saturday, February 25, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister warned that until Arbel Yehud, a civilian woman hostage kidnapped by Palestinian militants, is freed, Israel will not allow residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes. According to a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu's office, Ms. Yehud was supposed to be released on Saturday, and Israel, based on the ongoing agreement, will not permit Gaza citizens to return to the northern part of the strip until this matter is resolved. Earlier, Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, stated that according to the agreement, Hamas is obligated to release all female civilians in the first phase, but the group has not adhered to its commitments. Reuters reported, citing a Hamas official, that Arbel Yehud is still alive and will be released next Saturday. Meanwhile, some Israeli media reported that Israel is negotiating with mediators about the release of Arbel Yehud before next Saturday. Ms. Yehud was 28 years old at the time of her kidnapping and was abducted along with her boyfriend, Ariel Konino, during a terrorist attack on October 7 of last year. Her brother was also kidnapped during this attack, and his body was returned to Israel last summer. Arbel Yehud's father expressed hope in an interview with Deutsche Welle that the Palestinian militants would see how 'pure' his daughter's heart is and refrain from torturing her. The family of this Israeli hostage welcomed the release of four other female hostages and expressed eagerness to embrace her upon her freedom. Concurrently, Herzi Halevi, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, reported on the military assessment of the situation in northern Gaza and the 'Netzarim' crossing, announcing an increase in the readiness of Israeli forces in the area. The Israeli army warned Gaza citizens not to approach the area for now. In the second step of Hamas's path towards a ceasefire agreement, this Iranian-backed Palestinian group handed over four female hostages who had been held by Hamas since October 7, 2023, to Israel on Saturday. In exchange for each of these hostages, who are Israeli army soldiers, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners who are serving sentences on security charges. The four hostages are soldiers Karina Arif, Daniela Gilboa, Naama Levi, and Liri Albag, who were initially taken to a military center near the border for preliminary medical examination and then transferred to a hospital to meet their families. They met their families for the first time after 477 days. The Red Cross will facilitate the transfer of the released Palestinian security prisoners to Gaza after the release of the four Israeli hostages by Hamas. On Friday, February 3, Hamas announced the names of the four Israeli female soldiers who will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in the second exchange based on the ceasefire agreement. This exchange, which took place on Saturday afternoon, follows the release of three Israeli women and 90 Palestinian prisoners on the first day of the ceasefire last Sunday, marking the first exchange of this kind in over a year. In the first phase of the six-week ceasefire, Israel has agreed to release 50 Palestinian prisoners for each female soldier released, indicating that 200 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in exchange for these four soldiers. Since the release of three female hostages last Sunday and the discovery of the body of a missing Israeli soldier after a decade, Israel has stated that 94 Israeli and foreign citizens are being held in Gaza. The multi-phase ceasefire agreement, which was reached after months of negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt with the support of the United States, has halted the war for the first time since November 2023, following a ceasefire that lasted only a week. In the first phase, Hamas has agreed to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails. In the next phase, both sides will negotiate the exchange of remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The phased release of hostages has been met with protests and concerns from some Israelis, who argue that after the release of women, children, the elderly, and sick hostages in the first phase, the agreement may fall apart, leaving the fate of male hostages of military age uncertain. Several Israeli officials, including the Minister of Finance, have called for the resumption of war at the end of the first phase.