The Israeli official says

Khan Younis, Gaza Strip (AP) – Israel will not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza strip as it was requested by cessation of firesaid an official on Thursday. The refusal of Israel could arouse a crisis with Hamas and key mediator in an sensitive moment for the fragile armistice.

A few hours earlier, Hamas released The remnants of four hostages In exchange for over 600 Palestinian prisoners, the last planned change of the first fire cessation, that ends this weekend. The discussions on the second and more difficult stage have not yet started.

It could be a great deal on a visit to the middle environment of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, who is expected in the region in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a short statement that he sent negotiators to Cairo, without giving additional details.

“Flagrant violation”

The Israeli official, speaking in anonymous conditions in accordance with the regulations said that the army must remain in the so-called Philadelphi corridorOn the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, to prevent smuggling with weapons.

Separately, the Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, said, at a meeting with local leaders, that he saw tunnels entering the border in a recent visit to the corridor, without providing evidence or developing Israel’s plans. Egypt says he destroyed the smuggling tunnels from him years ago and set up a military buffer area to stop smuggling.

Hamas said that any Israeli attempt to maintain a tampon area on the corridor would be a “flagrant violation” of the fire termination agreement. The militant group says that compliance with the agreement is the only way to ensure the release Dozens of hostages still held in Gaza.

Israel should start withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor on Saturday, the last day of the first phase and completing it in eight days. There was no immediate comment in Egypt, which opposes any Israeli presence on the gas side of its border.

Rests of 4 hostages identified

The remnants released Thursday were confirmed to be those of Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mantzur and Tsachi Idan, according to the missing and missing families forum, which represent families of the captives.

Mantzur, 85 years old, was killed on October 7, 2023 from Hamas, an attack that triggered the war, and his body was taken to the territory. Israel said that the other three were killed in captivity without elaborating.

“Our painful hearts when receiving bitter news,” said Israeli president Isaac Herzog. “At this painful moment, there is some comfort in knowing that they will be rested in Dignity in Israel.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said he shared the “huge pain” of the family and loved ones in Yahalomi, who had French citizenship.

Hamas confirmed that over 600 prisoners were released overnight. Most of them were detained returned to Gaza, where they were rounded after the October 7 attack and were held without a charge of security suspicions.

Cheerful return for released prisoners

Some of the prisoners released fell on their knees in gratitude after landing buses in the south of Gaza in Khan Younis. In the city of Beitunia in the West Bank, dozens of prisoners were received by crowds and well -wise relatives.

The prisoners issued carried shirts issued by the Israeli penitentiary service carrying a message in Arabic about the pursuit of someone’s enemies. Some of the prisoners threw the shirts on the ground or set fire to them.

Israel delayed the release of prisoners on Saturday in Hamas’s practice to paradise the hostages before the crowds and rooms during their release. Israel, along with the Red Cross and UN officials, called ceremonies humiliating for hostages.

Hamas released the four corpses on the Red Cross in Gaza overnight, without a public ceremony.

The prisoners released on Thursday included 445 men, 21 teenagers and a woman, according to the lists shared by Palestinian officials who did not specify their ages. Only about 50 Palestinians were released in the busy Westord and East Jerusalem in this round, while dozens sentenced to life for deadly attacks were exiled.

Armistice in danger

The last teaching was the final planned in the first six -week phase of fire cease, which expires this weekend. Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight corpses, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Trump’s envoy, Witkoff, said he wants the parties to move to negotiations in the second phase. These discussions had to start the first week of February.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to return all the hostages and destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, that remains under Gaza control. The Trump administration approved both goals.

But it is not clear how Israel would destroy Hamas without resuming the war, and Hamas is unlikely to release the remaining hostages – his main negotiation chips – without a long -term fire.

The return of fire, intermediate by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of war that broke out after Hamas’s attack in 2023 on South Israel, which killed about 1,200 people. About 250 people were taken hostage.

If the identities of the four bodies are confirmed, then 59 captives will remain in Gaza, of which 32 is believed to be dead. Almost 150 were issued in fire termination agreements or in other offers, while dozens of corpses were recovered by Israeli and eight captives were saved in life.

The military offensive of Israel killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who do not differ between civil and combatants, but say that over half of the dead were women and children.

Fight moved about 90% of Gaza population and decimated the system of infrastructure and health of the territory.

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Shurafa reported from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip and Melzer in Nahariya, Israel. Contributed the writer Associated Press Josef Federman in Jerusalem.

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