Israeli forces withdrew from a key Gaza corridor on Sunday, as part of Israel’s commitments under a fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
As part of the truce, Israel agreed to remove its troops from the 4-mile (6-kilometer) Netzarim corridor, a strip of land that divides northern Gaza from the south, which had been a military zone during the conflict.
Following the truce’s initiation last month, Israel started allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to return to their homes in the war-torn north, with hundreds of thousands of people streaming across Gaza on foot and by car.
The withdrawal from this area fulfills another commitment in the deal, which paused the 15-month-long war.
However, there seems to be little progress in negotiations on the second phase of the deal, which aims to extend the truce and secure the release of more Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending a delegation to Qatar, a key mediator in talks, though the delegation consists of lower-level officials, leading to speculation that it won’t bring a breakthrough in extending the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is expected to convene a meeting of key Cabinet ministers this week to discuss the second phase of the deal.
In a separate incident on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a 23-year-old Palestinian woman, eight months pregnant, was fatally shot by Israeli gunfire in the northern occupied West Bank during an ongoing Israeli military operation.
