Israeli forces violate ceasefire, kill one Palestinian in central Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen
25 Jan 2025 23:44

Hamas earlier accused the Israeli occupation of stalling in fulfilling the terms of the ceasefire agreement and the prisoner exchange.

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Palestinians wait next to their belongings in central Gaza, on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, as the Israeli military is warning Palestinians not to return to northern Gaza (AP)

A Palestinian was killed and others were injured Saturday by Israeli occupation forces’ gunfire on Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported.

Witnesses reported that the Israeli occupation military opened fire on Palestinian evacuees at the last accessible point on Salah al-Din Street (eastern Gaza) and al-Rashid Street (western Gaza), which connect the southern and northern parts of the strip.

The ceasefire agreement in Gaza between the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli occupation came into effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025. However, the occupation breached the agreement shortly thereafter, resulting in fatalities and injuries.

IOF failure to withdraw from Netzarim puts agreement at risk: Source

The Israeli occupation forces' failure to withdraw from the so-called Netzarim axis, southwest of Gaza City, so far "threatens to halt the implementation of other provisions of the agreement," a commander in the Palestinian Resistance warned in a statement to Al Mayadeen.

On its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, accused the Israeli occupation of stalling in fulfilling the terms of the ceasefire agreement and the prisoner exchange, citing the continued closure of al-Rashid Street and the prevention of displaced residents from returning to northern Gaza.

Hamas held "Israel" responsible for any delays in executing the agreement and the resulting repercussions on its subsequent phases.

This development follows an earlier expectation that occupation forces would begin withdrawing from Netzarim an hour after the completion of the prisoner exchange on Saturday. The exchange was part of the second round of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to another senior Palestinian official who spoke to Al Mayadeen earlier on Saturday.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians gathered near Netzarim, awaiting permission to return to northern Gaza as stipulated by the agreement. This came after the al-Qassam Brigades handed over the second batch of Israeli captives, which comprised four female soldiers, to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

A couple of hours later, the Israeli occupation freed 200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including individuals serving life sentences and those with lengthy prison terms in Israeli prisons.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the first phase of the deal—comprising three stages—is expected to last six weeks. It involves the release of 33 Israeli captives in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

In the initial round of exchanges, conducted on the first day of the agreement's implementation, the Palestinian Resistance handed over three Israeli female captives in return for the Israeli occupation releasing 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including women and children.

On Monday, a senior source within the Resistance leadership highlighted in a statement to Al Mayadeen "several Israeli violations of the agreement, including surveillance drone activity and shootings targeting civilians," warning that such breaches, particularly the shootings, put the agreement at risk.

Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, has made it clear that the movement's commitment to the ceasefire is contingent on the enemy’s adherence to the agreement.