Jerusalem Jan. 26, 4:53 p.m.
Live Updates: Israel’s Cease-Fires in Lebanon and Gaza Appear Fragile
Israeli forces killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more in southern Lebanon on Sunday, Lebanese officials said, in one of the deadliest days since Israel’s truce with Hezbollah took effect. In Gaza, Israel said Hamas had violated the terms of the cease-fire.
Isabel KershnerChristina Goldbaum and Euan Ward
Isabel Kershner reported from Jerusalem, Christina Goldbaum from Damascus, Syria, and Euan Ward from Beirut, Lebanon.
The cease-fires in Lebanon and Gaza appeared increasingly fragile on Sunday after Israeli forces remained in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day deadline for both Hezbollah and Israel to withdraw, and Israel said Hamas had violated the terms of the truce in Gaza.
In Lebanon, at least 15 people were killed and more than 80 injured by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, Lebanese officials said on Sunday, as thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war poured onto roads leading south back to their homes. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that those killed and injured had been trying to enter their villages along the border when they were attacked by Israeli forces.
The cease-fire agreement, which was signed in November and halted the deadliest war in decades between Israel and Hezbollah, stipulated that both sides withdraw, while the Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers would be deployed in force to secure the area. Negotiators had hoped the cease-fire deal would become permanent, returning a measure of calm to a turbulent region. But as the deadline passed on Sunday, Israeli forces failed to withdraw, stoking fears of a sustained Israeli occupation and renewed hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had fired “warning shots” after what it described as “suspects” approached their forces. It also said that an unspecified number of people had been arrested and were now being questioned at the scene.
In Gaza, Israeli troops were preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip on Sunday because Israel said Hamas had violated the terms of their cease-fire agreement that went into effect a week ago. Hamas accused Israel of stalling.
Here is what else to know:
Southern Lebanon: Residents of some southern Lebanese towns had called for their neighbors to gather early Sunday morning and head to their homes in a convoy, despite the warnings from Israel not to return. The Lebanese military said it was accompanying civilians returning to several border towns to try to ensure their safety. The military said in a statement that a Lebanese soldier was among those killed by Israeli fire. Israel did not immediately comment on that claim.
Returning north: Displaced Palestinians in southern and central Gaza were left wondering when Israel would permit them to return to their homes in the northern part of the territory, as Israel and Hamas sparred over the implementation of the cease-fire deal. The holdup left many Palestinians in a state of anxious waiting, as they were already packing their belongings, including kitchen supplies, clothing and mattress pads.
Displaced Palestinians: A suggestion by President Trump to “clean out” the Gaza Strip and ask Egypt and Jordan to take in more Palestinians raised new questions on Sunday about United States policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and two of its most important allies in the Middle East. Mr. Trump’s comments appeared to echo the wishes of the Israeli far right that Palestinians be encouraged to leave Gaza — an idea that goes to the heart of Palestinian fears that they will be driven from their remaining homelands.
In a statement, the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, warned that it was “imperative to avoid further deterioration of the situation,” calling on the Israeli military to avoid firing at civilians, and for Lebanese to adhere to the directives of the Lebanese military. “Further violence risks undermining the fragile security situation,” the statement said.
Israeli troops were preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Israel said Hamas had violated the terms of the cease-fire agreement that went into effect a week ago while Hamas accused Israel of stalling.
Officials on both sides said they were in contact with mediators to try to resolve the crisis — one of the most significant between the parties since the cease-fire brought at least a temporary halt in fighting after 15 months of devastating war.
Under the terms of the initial phase of the deal agreed to this month, Israel had been expected to withdraw some of its forces to allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans to head north after a hostage and prisoner exchange on Saturday.
But the Israeli government said Hamas had violated the deal by not returning female captive Israeli civilians first and by failing to provide Israel with information regarding the status of other hostages, as stipulated by the agreement.
Israeli officials said that under the agreement, Arbel Yehud, an Israeli civilian held hostage in Gaza, was supposed to be one of the four women released on Saturday.
The hostages released were all soldiers who had been lookouts at a base on the Gaza border and were abducted from there on Oct. 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack on Israel that began the war.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that it would not allow Gazans to head north “until the release of the civilian Arbel Yehud has been arranged,” leaving the timing of the troop withdrawal and the residents’ return unclear.
The Israeli government reiterated in a statement on Sunday that Mr. Netanyahu was “standing firm” on that decision. Ms. Yehud had also been expected to be released along with about 100 other hostages during a weeklong cease-fire in Nov. 2023.
In addition, Hamas was supposed to have provided Israel with a list by late Saturday detailing the condition of the remaining 26 hostages expected to be released over the next five weeks. An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, said on Sunday afternoon that Israel had still not received the list.
Israeli officials have said that they believe many or most of the hostages scheduled to be released in the first phase of the deal are alive, but the status of some of them is not clear.
Hamas on Sunday accused Israel of stalling and of breaching the agreement by preventing displaced Gazans from moving north.
In a statement, Hamas said that it had informed the mediators that Ms. Yehud was alive and had given “all the necessary guarantees for her release,” adding that it was following up with the mediators in the hope of resolving the dispute.
The cease-fire deal was mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The Israeli official said on Sunday that Israel had not received any proof from Hamas regarding the status of Ms. Yehud.
Images of a large crowd of displaced Palestinians waiting near the Netzarim corridor, a zone built by Israeli forces that splits Gaza in two, to return to the north were circulating in Palestinian media on Sunday.
Wafa, the Palestinian Authority’s news agency, reported that one person was killed and several others were wounded west of Nuseirat in central Gaza after Israeli forces fired at the crowd of people waiting to return to the north. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reports.
Ghada al-Kurd, 37, said she had chosen to remain in central Gaza on Sunday despite longing to return to her home in the north. “I will not leave until everything becomes clear,” she said. “I will not risk my life — those soldiers cannot be trusted,” she added.
Ms. al-Kurd, who left her home and her two daughters behind in Gaza City in the early weeks of the war, was once again left wondering when she would finally get to see them. “Here we are just waiting, feeling stressed and anxious,” she said. “They are playing with our fate,” she added.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTDisplaced Palestinians in southern and central Gaza were left wondering on Saturday when Israel would permit them to return to their homes in the northern part of the territory, as Israel and Hamas sparred over the implementation of the cease-fire deal.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said Israel would prevent movement to the north of Gaza until plans were set for the release of Arbel Yehud, one of the last civilian women in captivity in Gaza.
Israeli officials said the agreement had required Ms. Yehud to be released on Saturday. They said they believed that she wasn’t being held by Hamas, suggesting the holdup wasn’t solely Hamas’s responsibility.
Hamas accused Israel of hesitating to implement the cease-fire agreement. The dispute was one of the most significant between the parties since the cease-fire took effect a week ago.
The holdup left many Palestinians in a state of anxious waiting, as they were already packing their belongings, including kitchen supplies, clothing and mattress pads.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been looking forward to returning to their homes in northern Gaza — many of which were destroyed in Israel’s bombing campaign — after long months enduring miserable conditions in makeshift shelters, schools and friends’ and relatives’ homes.
As of Saturday evening, neither Hamas nor the Israeli prime minister’s office had publicly announced plans for the release of Ms. Yehud.
It was unclear what exactly would need to take place for Israel to consider Ms. Yehud’s release arranged, but Hamas has confirmed which hostages will be freed to Israel in the past by sending lists to Israel through mediators.
The cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas says the Israeli military should withdraw eastward on the seventh day of the agreement and that displaced Palestinians could then begin to return to their homes. Even though Saturday was the seventh day of the agreement, the Hamas-run government media office said earlier this week that people would be allowed to return on Sunday.
Avichai Adraee, the Arabic spokesman of the Israeli military, posted on social media on Saturday that it was still forbidden to approach the corridor linking central Gaza to the north, without clarifying when that would change.
Palestinians in Gaza expressed nervousness as they waited for a resolution.
“Everyone is worried and cautious,” said Ibrahim Abdulwahed, 40, a displaced man in the central city of Deir al-Balah. He said he was hopeful Israel and Hamas would resolve the issue.
Others said their excitement about returning home was mixed with fears about the devastation they would encounter after 15 months of Israeli bombardment.
“My husband and I have been waiting for this day with so much anticipation, but I can’t help feeling frightened about the great destruction I’ll see on the way back,” said Nour Qasim, 22, a displaced person in Nuseirat, in central Gaza.
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