Israel prevented thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza on Sunday, accusing Hamas of breaking the ceasefire by altering the sequence of hostages it was releasing. According to local health officials, Israeli forces fired at the crowd, killing two people and injuring nine others.

Israeli forces also opened fire on demonstrators in Lebanon who were calling for their departure by the deadline on Sunday as part of a separate truce with the militant organisation Hezbollah. At least 22 people were killed and more than 120 were injured, according to Lebanon's health officials. Lebanon claims its soldiers cannot enter regions until Israeli troops leave, but Israel claims it hasn't retreated since Lebanese forces are not deploying adequately. In the meantime, US President Donald Trump proposed that the majority of Gaza's people be temporarily relocated to other countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, in order to simply purge the war-torn territory. Jordan and the Palestinians quickly rejected that, and Egypt has already rejected the scenario out of concern that Israel might never permit refugees to return.

According to Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, Palestinians would never agree to such a plan, even if it were presented as reconstruction with good intentions. "If Israel lifts its blockade, the Palestinians can rebuild Gaza even better than before," he stated. In accordance with the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israel was supposed to start allowing Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza on Saturday via the Netzarim corridor, which divides the region. Israel claimed that should have happened on Saturday, but it put it on hold until Hamas releases a civilian hostage. Hamas accused Israel of breaching the pact. A main road leading to a closed Israeli checkpoint was crowded with people carrying their belongings. "We have been suffering for a year and a half," said Nadia Qasem.

Fadi al-Sinwar, who was also displaced from Gaza City, commented, "The fate of over a million people depends on one person," referring to the Israeli hostage, Arbel Yehoud. See how valuable we are? We are worthless," he said. Al-Awda Hospital, which received the injuries, reported that Israeli forces opened fire on the crowds three times over the night and into Sunday, killing two and injuring nine, including a toddler. A large group of people, carrying their belongings, crowded a main road leading to a closed Israeli checkpoint. We have been in agony for a year and a half, said Nadia Qasem.

Fadi al-Sinwar, also displaced from Gaza City, mentioned that the fate of over a million people depends on one individual, referring to the Israeli hostage, Arbel Yehoud. Israel accused Hamas of not providing clear information about the condition of hostages who were supposed to be freed during the first phase of the ceasefire, which lasts five weeks.

Hamas, in a statement, said it informed mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar that Yehoud is alive and guaranteed her release. Later, a spokesman for Gaza’s second-largest militant group, Islamic Jihad, stated that the issue regarding Yehoud had been resolved. Mohamed al-Hajj Mousa confirmed that the group assured mediators she would be released before Saturday. However, an Israeli official, speaking anonymously about the ongoing negotiations, said no final agreement had been reached yet. A ceasefire has been agreed upon to try and end the 15-month war that began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The aim is to free hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Currently, around 90 hostages are still in Gaza and Israeli authorities believe that many of them, possibly half, may have already died.

Itzik Horn, whose sons Iair and Eitan are among the hostages, warned that resuming fighting would be a death sentence for those still held and criticised government ministers who want the war to continue. The first phase of the ceasefire will last until early March and involves the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The second phase, which is more complicated, has not yet been negotiated. Hamas has stated that it will not release the remaining hostages unless the war ends, while Israel has threatened to restart its military actions until Hamas is completely defeated. Hamas militants attacked on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 people hostage. A weeklong ceasefire in November 2023 led to the release of over 100 hostages. Israeli forces have since rescued eight hostages and recovered the remains of several others, with at least three mistakenly killed by Israeli forces. During the latest ceasefire, seven more hostages were freed.

Israel's military operations have led to over 47,000 Palestinian deaths, with more than half being women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The exact number of fighters among the dead isn't specified. The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 fighters, but it hasn't provided evidence to support this. Nearly 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced as a result of Israeli ground operations and shelling, which have devastated large areas of the territory. Since the ceasefire started, many people have gone home to find nothing but piles of debris.