Israeli Army Completely Withdraws from the Netsarim Corridor in Central Gaza

A Hamas official announced that Israeli forces withdrew from the Netsarim corridor on Sunday, February 10, which divides the Gaza Strip into two sections along Salah al-Din Road. This move is part of a fragile ceasefire agreement that Israel claims is being implemented. According to this official, all Israeli military positions and posts have been dismantled, and tanks have exited, allowing vehicles to move freely in both directions. An AFP reporter in the area confirmed that no Israeli forces are present, and cars, buses, and even carts are passing through this route. Israeli media have also reported on the withdrawal of their forces from this corridor, but the Israeli army has not yet made an official comment on this matter. Last week, Israeli forces left the northern part of the Netsarim corridor, allowing Palestinian refugees to return to northern Gaza; however, these forces remained in areas closer to Israel. The Netsarim corridor is a six-kilometer road in the center of the Gaza Strip that extends from Israel to the Mediterranean Sea. Another main corridor has been established at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt, known as the Philadelphi corridor, which, according to the agreement, will remain under Israeli control until the fiftieth day of the ceasefire. The Gaza ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages were brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, with implementation starting on January 19. On Saturday, during the fifth round of exchanges, the extremist group Hamas released three more Israeli hostages, and 183 Palestinians were also freed from Israeli prisons. Israeli officials say that the three citizens released on Saturday suffered from severe malnutrition during their captivity in Gaza and lost significant weight. The Israeli army announced that on Saturday evening, it targeted a weapons depot linked to the extremist group Hamas in southern Syria. According to the Israeli army, this operation was coordinated with military intelligence and the northern command of the army, and Hamas uses territory in Syria, directed by Iran, for its attacks. This attack occurred while Israel and Hamas were in the process of implementing the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza war. Simultaneously, in exchange for the release of three hostages, Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The Israeli army also announced that on Saturday evening, it targeted a gathering place of Hezbollah forces in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. This attack followed the observation of the stockpiling of 'strategic weapons' for Hezbollah. Lebanese sources reported that this attack was carried out by drone and resulted in six deaths and two injuries. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army announced that it responded to attacks that had been carried out from Syrian territory to the eastern and northeastern borders of Lebanon. Earlier, Syrian forces had attacked the border area of Hermel, resulting in eight injuries. The new Syrian government, which overthrew Bashar al-Assad two months ago, announced that it has begun extensive operations to combat arms and goods smuggling at the Lebanese borders. These actions target Hezbollah affiliates, traffickers, and drug dealers. For the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, a delegation from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons met with Ahmad al-Shara in Damascus on Saturday evening. The head of this organization stated that the new Syrian government has a different approach to cooperation. The interim Syrian government has requested assistance from this organization for the destruction of its chemical weapons but has entrusted the security of the delegation to Dutch special forces. Syria was repeatedly accused of using chemical weapons during Bashar al-Assad's era, including in the Ghouta massacre. In another development, the defense minister of the interim Syrian government stated that if Russia aligns itself with Syria's national interests, Syria may agree to the continued deployment of Russian military air and naval bases in Syria. Marhaf Abu Qasra's remarks came a few days after a Russian delegation's visit to Damascus, during which they met with Ahmad al-Shara. Mr. Abu Qasra, whose remarks were published in the Washington Post, stated that maintaining Russian bases is not an end in itself but will be considered only within the framework of Syria's interests. He added that relations between Damascus and Russia have 'significantly improved' because 'in politics, there are no eternal enemies.'