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After an emotional day when four female soldier hostages were returned from captivity in Gaza on Saturday, Israel braced itself for the tense run-up to a third round of hostage releases next week as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Shortly after jubilation for the return of the soldiers taken from the Gaza border during the October 7 attacks, thousands of Israelis took to the streets to demand that the government continues with the agreement, which would involve the release of all hostages and end one of the most traumatic episodes in the nation’s history.
Two-hundred Palestinian detainees were released in return for the hostages, either to areas in the occupied Palestinian Territories or, for those charged with the most serious crimes, deportation. Thousands rallied to see the prisoners released in Palestinian capital Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and there was celebration in Gaza, where a smaller number of detainees were transferred.
Despite widespread support for getting the hostages home in Israel, the future of the deal is fragile, with both sides accusing the other of breaking its terms. There is also significant pressure on Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu from the far-right of his coalition who want to scrap the deal, saying it puts national security at risk by releasing hundreds of Palestinian detainees, robs Israel of victory in Gaza and stops the far-right from resettling the strip.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party, a settler and one of the most high-profile politicians known to be against the deal, at first welcomed the return of hostages saying on X that “the entire Jewish people are excited about your arrival” and that “we hug you and love you”.
A later post, however, criticised a “slander” against him and others who “thinks that this deal is bad and its consequences dangerous for the future of Israel”.
Settlements and National Minister Orit Strock, who belongs to Mr Smotrich’s party, called for Israelis “to come to our senses” over the deal which she said will allow Hamas to “return to re-establish its terror empire in [Gaza].”
“If the State of Israel desires life, it is obligated to wipe Hamas off the face of the earth and not stop until the mission is completed.”
Criticism from the far-right came amid renewed accusations by the office of Mr Netanyahu on Sunday that Hamas was breaking the deal, particularly over the fate of Arbel Yehud who was supposed to be freed in Saturday’s exchange, Israel said. Her whereabouts have been the subject of speculation in recent days, with reports suggesting her release has been complicated as she is held by militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, not Hamas.
On Saturday, Israel said it would not allow Gazans to cross into the north of the strip until her fate was secured, despite the initial timetable allowing displaced civilians to return on Sunday using designated routes. Thousands have gathered close to the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land controlled by the Israeli military that divides Gaza from east to west.
“It was expected that Hamas would incite difficulties and continue psychological warfare manoeuvres on the way to implementing the agreement,” Sunday’s statement said.
Hamas reportedly informed international mediators involved in the deal that Ms Yehud is alive and will be released in another swap next Saturday. The group said Israel was delaying implementation of the ceasefire by preventing displaced Gazans from returning north, warning it would have “repercussions” for subsequent stages of the deal.
On Sunday, Hamas said it also held “the occupation responsible for obstructing the implementation of the agreement” after Israeli forces killed a Palestinian and wounded seven who were trying to get into the north of the strip, according to the local health authorities.
The militant group said Israel is “stalling under the pretext of the kidnapped Arbel Yehud, despite the fact that we informed the mediators that she is alive and provided all the necessary guarantees for her release”.
The US called for the deal to be implemented in full, saying it is “critical that the ceasefire implementation continues and that all of the hostages are freed from Hamas captivity and safely returned to their families”.
US President Donald Trump has been widely praised in Israel for getting the deal, which had been on the table for months, passed in the run-up to his inauguration. Mr Trump threatened there would be “all hell to pay” if the hostages had not returned to Israel by the time he came into office.
