Israeli forces pull back from corridor between north and south Gaza

Israeli forces have withdrawn from the strategic corridor that divides northern and southern Gaza as part of a ceasefire plan that has brought a fragile pause to the 16-month war.

- Emma Graham-Harrison Jerusalem Sam Jones

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas officials yesterday confirmed that the Israeli military had withdrawn from the Netzarim corridor, the 4-mile strip of land that Israel set up within weeks of the war and used as a military zone during the fighting.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 letting Palestinians cross Netzarim to return to their homes in the north, with hundreds of thousands of people streaming across Gaza.

The Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanoua said the withdrawal showed it had "forced the enemy to submit to our demands" and it had thwarted the Israeli government's "illusion of achieving total victory".

Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss troop movement, did not say 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.