Israel’s forces withdrew from a major corridor separating the Gaza Strip on Sunday, leaving practically all of the territory’s north, as required under a precarious cease-fire with Hamas before any discussions for a more permanent accord.
The military’s departure from Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor occurred as the Israeli government sent a delegation to Qatar over the weekend to discuss the next group of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released during the initial phase of the cease-fire agreement, which began last month and is still in effect.
The haggard faces of three Israeli hostages freed on Saturday, which sparked popular analogies to Holocaust victims, added further pressure to the discussions.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Israeli military claimed forces were “implementing the agreement” to vacate the corridor and let hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
Two Israeli military officers and a soldier in Gaza, who were not authorized to speak publicly or by name, claimed the Israelis had departed the Netzarim Corridor by Sunday morning.
Following Sunday’s retreat from the corridor, Israeli forces in Gaza are now primarily restricted to a tiny strip of territory in southern Gaza near the Egyptian border, as well as a buffer zone along the Israeli border.
Gaza’s interior ministry warned Palestinians going north on Sunday that their cars might still be examined by foreign security contractors to prevent weapons from being smuggled from the south.
“We urge citizens to exercise caution and follow the currently permitted mechanism for their own safety,” the interior ministry said in a statement Sunday.
In the early days of the war, the Israeli military ordered a mass evacuation of northern Gaza and guarded the corridor, preventing Palestinians from returning. Israeli military had already partially withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor last month, leaving foreign contractors to fill the hole.
