IDF announces full withdrawal from Gaza's Netzarim corridor

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will completely withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in the Gaza Strip, which separates the northern and southern parts of the Palestinian enclave. This was reported by the Ynet portal on Sunday, February 9.

According to the portal, the withdrawal of troops is linked to the terms of the deal on the release of hostages held by the radical Hamas movement. The Israeli army intends to complete the withdrawal from its positions on Sunday night.

Hamas has agreed to the presence of private American companies in the region to conduct inspection operations at the Netzarim crossing to return displaced people to their homes from south-central areas to the north, said Mohammed al-Masri, director of the Palestinian Center for Studies.

Contributing to the freeze: how the truce between Israel and Hamas will work and how long it will last

On the first day of the deal, the Palestinian movement freed three hostages

Earlier on February 9, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Hamas had released and handed over three hostages to Israel. The three freed men were later handed over by the Red Cross to the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.

On February 5, Netanyahu said during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that Tel Aviv intends to destroy Hamas, return all Jewish hostages and eliminate the threat to the country from the Gaza Strip. The American leader, in turn, called Gaza a demolition site and suggested that Palestinians should be resettled in Jordan, Egypt or other countries.

On Jan. 19, the first phase of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect. During this phase of the deal, which will last 42 days, 33 Israeli hostages and some 1,900 Palestinians are to be released. On the same day, the movement released three hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, and on January 26, four military girls were handed over to the Red Cross. They were subsequently flown back to their homeland.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.