Israeli troops leave important Gaza route in preparation for next phase of ceasefire negotiations

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Key Points

The Israeli military has withdrawn from the Netzarim Corridor.
The Netzarim Corridor divides southern Gaza from the north.
Much of northern Gaza has been demolished by Israeli bombing

An Israel delegation has arrived in Qatar for more ceasefire talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson said, as its military withdrew from an important crossing point in Gaza, as agreed under the truce with Hamas.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on the next stage of the ceasefire are set to start this week following Netanyahu’s visit to the United States last week.

However, a source in Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli delegation at this point will only discuss technical issues, rather than the bigger matters that are supposed to be hammered out, including the administration of post-war Gaza.

Last week, US President Donald Trump made a surprise call for , which would rebuild it.

US officials have since walked back some of Trump’s remarks, saying Palestinians could return to Gaza once it was cleared of unexploded ordnance and rebuilt.

Still, with some critics saying it amounted to “ethnic cleansing”. Israeli officials have welcomed it.

Netanyahu’s security cabinet was scheduled to discuss Trump’s proposal, as well as the second stage of the ceasefire, on Tuesday, the source in his office said.

The first stage of the ceasefire which began on 19 January is meant to last six weeks and includes in return for Israel freeing almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners from its jails.

Israeli military withdraws from Netzarim Corridor

The US, Qatar, and Egypt mediated the ceasefire, which has largely been held. In keeping with the deal, on Sunday, the Israeli military completed its withdrawal from its remaining positions in the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza.

Crowds of people were seen traversing the corridor as Hamas announced the Israeli withdrawal while a long line of cars waited to pass through. An Israeli security source confirmed the military was leaving its positions there.

The Reuters footage showed what appeared to be Israeli military vehicles moving away from the coast and towards the Israeli border.

Crowds of people holding Palestinian flags walk along the water.

Thousands of Palestinians are returning to their homes in northern Gaza. Source: AAP / Habboub Ramez/ABACA/PA

Since the early months of the war, Israeli forces had occupied the roughly 6km-long corridor south of Gaza City that stretches from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean Sea.

The corridor cut off Gaza’s northern communities, including its largest metropolitan area, from the south.

Thousands of Palestinians have streamed through the corridor in recent weeks, from southern Gaza where they had sought shelter from the war.

Much of northern Gaza has become a wasteland following Israel’s devastating campaign. After finding their homes destroyed, some Gazans have gone back to the south, while others have set up tents where their homes once stood.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas for its October 2023 attack in which 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 48,000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory assault, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Gazan medics said four Palestinians, including an elderly woman, had been killed by Israeli gunfire in two separate incidents near Khan Younis and in Gaza City on Sunday.

The Israeli military said soldiers had fired warning shots at “several suspects” and “several hits were identified” when asked about the Gaza City incident. The military was not aware of the incident where the woman was allegedly killed.