Northern Gaza residents return home following new agreement
Residents of northern Gaza began returning to their homes on Monday morning after Qatar announced a new agreement between Hamas and Israel. Under the deal, displaced Palestinians are allowed to return, starting Monday, in exchange for the release of Israeli detainee Arbel Yehud and others in the coming days.
Hamas confirmed that it had provided mediators with the list of prisoners to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Late on Sunday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that an agreement had been reached for the release of six Israeli detainees, including Arbel Yehud, in exchange for allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials revealed that Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to the region, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Wednesday to oversee the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as reported by Israeli Channel 13.
The announcement came amidst controversy surrounding US President Donald Trump’s comments about relocating Palestinians. On Sunday, the Arab League condemned his proposed plan to “cleanse” the Gaza Strip, suggesting it would involve displacing Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. The League called these proposals “ethnic cleansing.” Both Egypt and Jordan rejected such plans, asserting that Palestinians should not be displaced, either temporarily or permanently.
Trump, on Saturday, said he envisioned relocating around 1.5 million Gazans to Jordan and Egypt, stating, “We are simply cleansing the entire area.” The comments sparked backlash, as the concept of forced displacement was widely denounced.
The German Foreign Ministry also opposed the idea of expelling Palestinians from Gaza, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed doubt about Trump’s specific plan, though she welcomed discussions regarding the reconstruction of Gaza.
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