February 10, 2025 8:59 AM
The Israeli military has pulled out of the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, a move confirmed by Hamas. This withdrawal is part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinian police force took charge of the area to manage the flow of Palestinians moving through it. The Netzarim corridor, about four miles long, had been occupied by Israeli forces since the early months of the war, cutting off northern Gaza from the south. Many Palestinians had crossed through the corridor to return to their homes after seeking refuge in southern Gaza.
On Sunday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas officials confirmed that the Israeli military had withdrawn from the Netzarim corridor, the 4-mile (6km) strip of land that Israel set up within weeks of the war and used as a military zone during the fighting.
When the ceasefire came into effect last month, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to return to their homes in the devastated north, with hundreds of thousands of people streaming across Gaza on foot and by car.
Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanoua said the withdrawal showed it had “forced the enemy to submit to our demands” and that it had thwarted the Israeli government’s “illusion of achieving total victory”.
Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss troop movement with the media, did not disclose how many soldiers withdrew or to where.
Israel has said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas’s military and political capabilities have been eliminated. Hamas, meanwhile, says it will not hand over the last hostages it seized during its attacks on 7 October 2023 until Israel removes all troops from the territory.
