Six hostages to be freed and Gazans to be allowed north - Israel

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will release six hostages this week and starting Monday, Israel will allow Gazans to return to their homes in the north.

The hostages consist of Arbel Yehud, the civilian at the center of a dispute that has led to Israel putting off the return of Gazans to northern Gaza.

Hamas let out four soldiers on Saturday, but Ms Yehud wasn't among them. Israel claims Hamas broke the ceasefire agreement, which was supposed to allow Israeli civilians to be freed before Palestinian prisoners were released.

Since the ceasefire agreement went into effect, seven hostages and more than 200 prisoners have been released.

Thousands of Palestinians fleeing due to displacement have been congregating at a military blockade in northern Gaza for the past two days.

The ceasefire and hostage-prisoner release agreement went into effect on January 19. Two exchanges have been completed.

The Palestinian group Hamas will release Ms. Yehud and two other hostages on Friday, and three more on Saturday, according to an announcement made by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the government of Qatar, which has been facilitating the negotiations.

Starting on Monday, Israel will permit Palestinians to move north, and further releases of Palestinian prisoners are set for later in the week.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Palestinians were set to be allowed to travel north of the Netzarim Corridor, a 4.3-mile strip of land controlled by Israel that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the area, on Saturday.

Pictures reveal large groups of people waiting to move ahead.

"We are pleased to announce that Qatari and Egyptian officials, who have previously played a key role in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, have been working to find a resolution to the issue surrounding Ms. Yehud, and a resolution is reportedly in the works.

A ceasefire agreement was reached in January that brought an end to the conflict, which started in October 2023 when Hamas launched an attack on Israel. The violence resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people, and with it, approximately 251 hostages were forced to return to Gaza.

More than 47,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel's military operation, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

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• A massive crowd is waiting anxiously for the chance to return to northern Gaza, which has been delayed.