The Hamas terror group on Saturday night failed to provide Israel with information on the status of hostages set for release in the coming weeks, in violation of the ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza.
In addition, Israel said Hamas also broke the terms of the deal by failing to free civilian female hostage Arbel Yehud before releasing female soldiers, four of whom were freed Saturday.
In response to Yehud not being freed, Israel said it was delaying allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza — which had been scheduled to begin on Saturday — until her release could be arranged.
The decision also meant that the IDF would not withdraw from part of the Netzarim Corridor as scheduled on Sunday. The corridor bisects Gaza from east to west and divides its south from its north.
Seven hostages of 33 have been released so far as part of the first phase of the deal, in exchange for around 300 Palestinian security prisoners. According to the terms of the agreement, the Palestinian terror group was meant to let Israel know by the end of Saturday which of the remaining 26 hostages on the list, all of whom fall into the so-called “humanitarian” category of women, children, elderly individuals, and the infirm, are alive.
But the terror group blew past the midnight deadline, and Israeli officials confirmed that Jerusalem had not received the update and warned that failure to provide it was a violation of the accord.
Hamas may have been retaliating for Israel delaying the return of Palestinian residents to the enclave’s north. On Saturday after Israel announced the decision, the terror group accused Jerusalem in a statement of “delaying the implementation of the terms of the ceasefire.”
“We hold the occupation responsible for any disruption in implementing the agreement and its repercussions on the rest of the stations [of the agreement],” Hamas said.
Israel charges Hamas with violating the terms of the deal by releasing four IDF surveillance soldiers — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag — on Saturday, rather than female civilian captive Yehud. The deal had stipulated that all living civilian women must be freed before the soldiers.
On the previous Sunday, civilians Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher were released.
The 33 hostages set to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal. Row 1 (L-R): Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Arbel Yehud, Doron Steinbrecher, Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas; Row 2: Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Danielle Gilboa, Naama Levy, Ohad Ben-Ami, Gadi Moshe Moses; Row 3: Keith Siegel, Ofer Calderon, Eli Sharabi, Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour, Ohad Yahalomi, Oded Lifshitz; Row 4: Tsahi Idan, Hisham al-Sayed, Yarden Bibas, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Sasha Trufanov; Row 5: Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov (all photos courtesy)
Although Yehud, 28, is a civilian, a source in Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terror group allied with Hamas that is believed to be holding her, told Qatari-funded Al Jazeera that she was a soldier, and so would be “released according to the deal’s terms.”
Hamas told Al Jazeera and Reuters on Saturday that Yehud was alive and would be part of the next release, on February 1.
Israel had conveyed to Hamas in the days leading up to the most recent hostage release that it expected Yehud to be released. She had been on the list set for release during the weeklong truce in November 2023, but that deal collapsed before the final round of releases took place.
Arbel Yehud, who was taken hostage with her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, from their Kibbutz Nir Oz home on October 7. (Courtesy)
The Hostages Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office said Sunday that it had updated the families of captives that Hamas committed two breaches of the ceasefire agreement: “Arbel Yehud has not yet been released, and the list detailing the condition of the hostages for phase one has not yet been submitted.”
The directorate confirmed that as a result, “it has been decided that the passage of Gazans to northern Gaza will not be approved.”
At the same time, “significant efforts are being made with the US and mediators to facilitate Arbel’s return,” the directorate said.
The IDF’s ‘Terminal 3’ checkpoint to the Netzarim Corridor of central Gaza, December 26, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
“It was anticipated that Hamas would create obstacles and continue psychological warfare maneuvers on the path to implementing the agreement. We are determined to secure the return of all hostages, both the living and the fallen,” it said, adding it would provide additional updates when it could.
A White House national security spokesperson told The Times of Israel on Saturday that the Trump administration was “continuing to push for Arbel Yehud’s release through negotiation channels.”
Netzarim Corridor stays closed
The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee warned Gazans against trying to return to the northern Gaza Strip yet, saying the delay in reopening the corridor was due to “Hamas’s breach of the ceasefire agreement” and telling Gazans on X that it would not be reopened “until the release of Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud has been settled between the mediators and Israel.”
Adraee warned Gazan civilians to follow the instructions issued by the IDF in order to keep safe.
#عاجل إعلان عاجل إلى سكان قطاع غزة
????في ضوء خرق اتفاق وقف إطلاق النار من قبل حماس وبهدف منع الاحتكاكات وسوء الفهم:
كافة التعليمات القائمة لا تزال سارية المفعول وبالأخص حظر الاقتراب إلى محور نتساريم حتى الإعلان عن فتحه
محور نتساريم لن يفتح للانتقال حتى تسوية تحرير المواطنة… pic.twitter.com/otHYwapCtI— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) January 25, 2025
Late Saturday night, discussions were held by mediators in Cairo to resolve the disagreement over the Netzarim Corridor and return of Gazans to the north of the Strip, but they ended without having reached an agreement, according to the Saudi television station Al-Hadath.
Despite repeated warnings from the IDF to refrain from approaching the Netzarim Corridor or attempting to return north, Palestinian media reported Saturday that one person was killed and some two dozen were wounded after troops opened fire as they approached the key route.
Displaced Gazans load a cart with their belongings near a roadblock on Salah al-Din Street in Nuseirat on January 25, 2025 (Eyad BABA / AFP)
The IDF questioned the accuracy of the reports, saying it had fired warning shots at several threats on Saturday but that they were not aimed at individuals.
“We emphasize that as of now, we are unaware of suspects being hit by the gunfire,” the IDF said.
This aerial photograph taken on January 23, 2025 shows a view of tents housing displaced Palestinians at a makeshift camp in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip during a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
According to the ceasefire-hostage deal, which went into effect on January 19, Hamas is set to release a total of 33 “humanitarian” hostages, living and dead, during a first 42-day phase, during which Israel will free up to 1,904 Palestinian security prisoners.
The next phase, if the details are agreed on, is set to include the release of the remaining hostages, the release of many more Palestinian security prisoners, and a “sustainable calm” in Gaza, including a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of the hostages held in Gaza, at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, January 25, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Eighty-four hostages remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
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