Agencies GAZA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM

Israeli troops have withdrawn from the Netzarim Corridor, a military zone cutting off the north of the Gaza Strip from the south, according to BBC. The Netzarim Corridor, stretching from the Gaza-Israel border to the Mediterranean Sea, divides north and south Gaza.

Israeli forces partially withdrew from the west of the corridor last month and the first Palestinians, pedestrians, were allowed to walk along the coastal Rashid Street as they crossed into northern Gaza.  Hundreds of Palestinians in cars and on carts laden with mattresses and other goods began returning to northern Gaza following the pullout.

The Israeli withdrawal is in line with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement of January 19 under which 21 Israeli hostages and 566 Palestinian prisoners have so far been freed. By the end of the first stage of the ceasefire in three weeks' time, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to have been freed. Israel says eight of the 33 are dead.

Hamas seized 251 hostages and killed about 1,200 people when it attacked Israel on  October 7, 2023, triggering the Gaza war. Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanoua said the withdrawal showed Hamas had “forced the enemy to submit to our demands” and that it thwarted “Netanyahu’s illusion of achieving total victory”.

The Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not disclose how many soldiers were withdrawing. Troops currently remain along Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt and a full withdrawal is expected to be negotiated in a later stage of the truce. The Israel Defense Forces have not officially commented on Sunday's withdrawal from the eastern part of the corridor, which will leave it in control of Gaza's borders, but not the road that had cut it in half.

The Haaretz newspaper says the Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry has been urging people to "exercise caution and adhere to the existing movement guidelines for their safety". The troop withdrawal comes as an Israeli delegation is expected to fly to Qatar which has been moderating talks between the two sides in the Gaza war.