1000s of Palestinians Wait at Netzarim to Cross Into North Gaza

Thousands of displaced Palestinians have been gathering at the closest point to the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza since Saturday, spending the entire night on the streets as they await a permit from the Israeli occupation to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

Women, children, and elderly people have been lining up along Al-Rashid Street (west), waiting for the Israeli military to permit them to begin streaming into northern Gaza. Meanwhile, vehicles filled with residents and their belongings are also waiting on Salah al-Din Street (east), where they will undergo searches before being allowed to cross into the northern areas.

The movement was expected to resume after Hamas handed over four Israeli soldiers as part of the ceasefire agreement on Saturday.

According to the agreement, the Israeli army is required to withdraw completely from west of the Netzarim axis, including the coastal Al-Rashid Street, to Salah al-Din Street in the east.

Under the deal, Israeli forces must dismantle military positions in the Netzarim area. Once completed, Palestinians would regain freedom of movement between Gaza’s north and south. Hamas sources confirmed this and said displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to their homes unarmed. Humanitarian aid would also move freely via Al-Rashid Street.

Earlier on Saturday, Hamas said that Israel is delaying the ceasefire terms. In a statement, Hamas said, “The occupation continues to stall in implementing the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement by keeping Al-Rashid Street closed and blocking displaced civilians from returning north.”

Hamas warned Israel against further delays, holding it accountable for any disruptions to the agreement.

The ceasefire, which began on January 19, is set to last 42 days in its first phase. Egypt, Qatar, and the United States brokered the agreement.

From October 7, 2023, to January 19, 2025, Israel’s genocide in Gaza caused catastrophic losses. Over 158,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed or injured. More than 14,000 remain missing, making this one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters according to the Quds News Network.

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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Fires Continue to Rage in Israel

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported, Friday, that fires swept the country resumed in fully force at the western suburbs of Jerusalem.

“Hours after the massive fire in the Latrun area (between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv) was brought under control, the fire resumed in the area today.”

Maariv added that Israeli firefighting crews rushed to the scene in a bid to put out the burning flames.

But, the Israeli Fire Authority said in a post on the X platform that: “There are no dramatic events currently in the fire zones in Jerusalem.”

It added: “Several points of smoke rising are being monitored, and firefighting forces and aircraft continue to work to bring the fires under control.”

On Thursday evening, Israel announced that it had brought under control the fires that swept through the area between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, about 30 hours after they broke out and consumed approximately 20,000 dunams.

Hebrew media outlets, including the official broadcasting authority, reported that the fires were likely caused by “the negligence of hikers,” rather than by arson.

Contrary to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that individuals started them, Channel 12 reported that “the central fires in the Jerusalem Hills were not set deliberately and are believed to be the result of negligence.”

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fires in the same area where similar, less intense blazes occurred last week.

The Times of Israel news website quoted President Isaac Herzog as saying, Thursday: “This fire is part of the climate crisis that must not be ignored. It requires us to prepare for serious and significant challenges and to make decisions, including appropriate legislation.”

The fires between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the largest in years, have forced the evacuation of 10 towns and settlements and have spread due to high temperatures and strong winds in the forested area as reported in Anadolu.

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Fires Rage in Israel

Fires are raging in Israel. Flames have started in the West Jerusalem hills and are feared to be creeping into northern and mass Israel with around 119 fire crews, 10 firefighting planes, and a helicopter deployed to attempt to extinguish the blaze according to The Jerusalem Post.

Israel has asked for international help especially from countries like Italy, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus and Bulgaria to attempt to put down the raging fires that are spreading because of high winds. Later reports, and with the inability to contain the fires, Israel called for more help from England, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Argentina, Spain, North Macedonia, and Azerbaijan.

The wild fires that started, Wednesday, are trending on the social media with images and videos of what are seen as apocalyptic scenes never seen before in Israel. The blazes, starting from the hills of western Jerusalem have spread to the areas of Tel Aviv in the north with up to eight Israeli municipalities affected with one blogger simply saying “Israel is burning.”

Reports show that people on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway abandoning their cars and running across the wilderness, anywhere, away from the raging fires consuming forests and natural habitats. Reports also suggest that 10,000 Israeli have been evacuated by over-worked Israeli firefighters who fear the battle will be long.

The highway as well as trains between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have since been closed because of the consuming danger.

As soon as they started, Israeli government officials quickly declared a national state of emergency as raging fires spread to settlements and military bases near Jerusalem with soldiers caught in the blazes with reports that blazes raged in 29 locations such as Nataf, Eshtaol, Ramat Raziel, Giv’at Ye’arim, and Kisalon.

The fires from Jerusalem have also moved south and west due to the raging winds and weather conditions with the Israeli army being deployed to assist firefighting teams as the fires latched on to cars and other vehicles. New blazes have been reported to as far away as in Ashkelon, Ashdod and its port and bordering to the so-called Gaza envelope the territory that houses Jewish settlements and military basis.

The speed winds in Israel are expected to increase dramatically in the coming hours and days with Israeli hospitals recording 12 injuries so far due to smoke inhalation and burns. For the first time in 77 years, Israeli local councils have canceled so-called Independence Day celebrations that is when Israel was created in 1948 on Palestinians lands.

Nobody really knows how the fires have started while Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rushed to accuse local Palestinians of arson but this is hearsay.

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