Israel issues warning as troops hold buffer zones in Gaza

"We note that the movement of gunmen or the transfer of weapons through these routes to the northern Gaza Strip is strictly prohibited and will be considered a breach of the agreement," tweeted the army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee. His warning on X, formerly known as Twitter, included a map showing IDF deployments inside Gaza and along the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border.

"We call on you to refrain from cooperating with any terror group seeking to exploit you in order to transfer weapons or prohibited materials," Adraee added.

Palestinian civilians can now return to northern Gaza via the Salah a-Din, the Strip's main north-south thoroughfare, and along coastal roads. Cars crossing between northern and southern Gaza are subject to inspection.

On Sunday, Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of Palestinians acting suspiciously as they approached the Israeli border near Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Troops stationed in the buffer zone fired in the air, then at the Palestinians. The IDF said the group withdrew after several suspects were hit.

The Netzarim Corridor, a roughly seven-km-road running from east to west, that bisects the Strip. It crosses from Israel, at a point between Kibbutz Be'eri and Kibbutz Nahal Oz, and stretches to the Mediterranean. The Philadelphi Corridor is a buffer zone that runs the length of the 14-km Gaza-Egypt border. It was created in 2006 to prevent weapons smuggling after Israel disengaged from the Strip but Hamas violently seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority the following year.

The ongoing first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages freed over six weeks in exchange for up to 1,904 Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many Israeli captives are alive. Hamas notified Israeli authorities in January that of the 33, eight are dead, but offered no evidence.

Since the first hostage release on Jan. 19, Hamas has freed 16 Israeli and five Thai captives in exchange for 583 imprisoned Palestinian terrorists.

The fate of the remaining 65 hostages will be determined by negotiations during the ceasefire's second phase. Critics say the phased approach condemns these 65 hostages to open-ended captivity and undermines Israel's war gains.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 70 remaining hostages, more than 30 are believed to be dead. (ANII/TPS)