The Israeli army has withdrawn from the Netzarim Corridor in the Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire accord with the Palestinian group Hamas.
Israel created the so-called Netzarim Corridor in the early days of the war in Gaza. The closed-off military zone is approximately 6km (3.7 miles) wide and cuts off northern Gaza from the rest of the enclave.
The Palestinian group running Gaza has announced that the complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from the Netzarim Corridor signals a “continuation of the failure of the goals of the war of extermination against the Palestinian people”.
Hamas said in a statement that the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes and the ongoing exchange of captives and prisoners refutes Benjamin Netanyahu’s “lie” about achieving victory in the enclave.
“Gaza will remain a land liberated by the hands of its people and its fighters, and forbidden to the occupying invaders and any external force,” it added.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed a confirmed 48,181 people and injured 111,638, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The Government Media Office has updated the death toll to at least 61,709 people, saying thousands who were missing under the rubble are now presumed dead.
