Israel stops return of thousands to northern Gaza over ceasefire dispute

Israel kept thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Sunday as it accused Hamas of violating a fragile ceasefire by changing the order of hostages it has released. Local health officials said Israeli forces fired on the crowd, killing two people and wounding nine.

Israeli forces also opened fire in Lebanon on protesters demanding their withdrawal by Sunday's deadline under a separate ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Health officials in Lebanon said at least 22 people were killed and over 120 wounded. Israel says it hasn't withdrawn because Lebanese forces are not deploying quickly enough, while Lebanon says its forces cannot move into areas until Israeli troops leave.

U.S. President Donald Trump meanwhile suggested that most of Gaza's population be at least temporarily resettled elsewhere, including in Egypt and Jordan, to “just clean out” the war-ravaged enclave. Jordan and the Palestinians swiftly rejected that, and Egypt has previously rejected the scenario, fearing Israel might never allow refugees to return.

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said Palestinians would never accept such a proposal, “even if seemingly well-intentioned under the guise of reconstruction.” He said the Palestinians can rebuild Gaza “even better than before” if Israel lifts its blockade.

Under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Israel on Saturday was to begin allowing Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza through the Netzarim corridor bisecting the territory. Israel put that on hold until Hamas frees a civilian hostage who Israel said should have been released Saturday. Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement.

Crowds of people carrying their belongings filled a main road leading to a closed Israeli checkpoint. “We have been in agony for a year and a half,” said Nadia Qasem.

Fadi al-Sinwar, also displaced from Gaza City, said “the fate of more than a million people is linked to one person,” referring to the Israeli hostage, Arbel Yehoud.

“See how valuable we are? We are worthless," he said.

Dispute and shootings test fragile ceasefire

Israeli forces fired on the crowds on three occasions overnight and into Sunday, killing two people and wounding nine, including a child, according to Al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties.

Israel's military in a statement said it fired warning shots at “several gatherings of dozens of suspects who were advancing toward the troops and posed a threat to them."

Israel has pulled back from several areas of Gaza under the ceasefire, which came into effect last Sunday. The military has warned people to stay away from its forces, which still operate in a buffer zone inside Gaza along the border and in the Netzarim corridor.

Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday, and Israel released some 200 Palestinian prisoners, most of whom were serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks. But Israel said Ms. Yehoud should have been released ahead of the soldiers.

Israel also accused Hamas of failing to provide details on the conditions of hostages set to be freed in the remaining five weeks of the ceasefire's first phase.

In a statement, Hamas said it had told mediators — the United States, Egypt, and Qatar — that Ms. Yehoud was alive and provided guarantees that she would be released.

A spokesman for Gaza’s second-largest militant group, Islamic Jihad, later said the dispute over Ms. Yehoud had been settled. Mohamed al-Hajj Mousa said the group told mediators she will be released before Saturday. But an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the behind-the-scenes talks, said there was still no deal.

Ending the war will be difficult

The ceasefire is aimed at ending the 15-month war triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack and freeing hostages still held in Gaza in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Around 90 hostages are still in Gaza, and Israeli authorities believe at least a third, and up to half, have died.

Itzik Horn, the father of hostages Iair and Eitan Horn, called any resumption of fighting “a death sentence for the hostages” and criticized government ministers who want the war to go on.

The ceasefire's first phase runs until early March and includes the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The second — and far more difficult — phase, has yet to be negotiated. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war, while Israel has threatened to resume its offensive until Hamas is destroyed.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in the Oct. 7 attack, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. More than 100 were freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the remains of dozens more, at least three of them mistakenly killed by Israeli forces. Seven have been freed in the latest ceasefire.

Israel's military campaign has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not say how many of the dead were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

Israeli bombardment and ground operations have flattened wide swaths of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million people. Many who have returned home since the ceasefire began have found only mounds of rubble.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Magdy reported from Cairo and Krauss from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed.