Isreal-Hamas hostage dispute delays Gaza return, strains truce

Key points.Displaced Palestinians can't return to northern Gaza due to hostage disagreement.Israel accuses Hamas of breaching truce by failing to release Arbel Yehud.Tens of thousands await clearance to return home amid stalled mediation efforts..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..The seventh BizNews Conference, BNC#7, is to be held in Hermanus from March 11 to 13, 2025. The 2025 BizNews Conference is designed to provide an excellent opportunity for members of the BizNews community to interact directly with the keynote speakers, old (and new) friends from previous BNC events – and to interact with members of the BizNews team. Register for BNC#7 here..If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Fares Akram___STEADY_PAYWALL___.A disagreement between Israel and Hamas over a hostage is preventing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza, putting pressure on a fragile week-old truce..Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday while Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners in the second exchange since a deal took effect on Jan. 19. Later on Saturday, Israel accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire agreement by not handing over civilian Arbel Yehud as originally planned in the exchange..Read more: 🔒 Ceasefire begins in Gaza amid delayed hostage swap.Hamas rejected the allegation, saying Israel was procrastinating and warning it would affect future stages of the three-phase deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar..On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said residents of Gaza can't start returning to the north as expected in the morning..Besides Yehud's release, Hamas has yet to submit a list of hostages that are still alive, and "it was decided that the crossing of Gazans into the northern Gaza Strip will not be approved," according to a statement from the hostage coordinator of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Sunday..Tens of thousands of Palestinians have gathered along the two roads connecting the southern and northern Gaza Strip since Saturday afternoon, awaiting the signal to proceed north toward what remains of their homes. Many spent the night in their vehicles, heavily laden with belongings and lighting fires for warmth..Mediators in Egypt ended a meeting to settle differences over the return of the displaced with no progress, Saudi-state owned television channel Al Arabiya reported Sunday morning..The Saturday transfer of Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy — all aged 20, and Liri Albag, 19, took place in a ceremony at a battle-shattered public square staged by Hamas, in a show of survival and defiance..The women were among some 250 people, mostly civilians, taken hostage while another 1,200 were killed in the bloodiest day of Israel's history when Hamas launched its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023..Israel's offensive in Gaza in response to the attack has killed more than 47,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Most of the impoverished enclave's 2 million Palestinians have been displaced and their infrastructure badly damaged..Read also:.🔒 The Economist: Trump's X-Factor secures Gaza ceasefire after 15 months of Hell111 Gaza hostages await the outcome of ceasefire talks…Just wars can still be bad wars: Marc Champion on Israel-Gaza.© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Isreal-Hamas hostage dispute delays Gaza return, strains truce

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