Palestinians' return on hold as Israel accuses Hamas of breaching truce deal

The fragility of the truce between Israel and Hamas was laid bare on Saturday, after Israel accused Hamas of withholding a hostage, prompting a halt in the movement of Gazan civilians back to their homes in the north.

The ceasefire deal was already a brittle agreement, with Israeli statements often calling it a “framework” as opposed to a deal.

Tensions escalated this week when 29-year-old Arbel Yehud, a civilian who Israel says should have been freed Saturday, was not among the four women released. Israel, in turn, did not allow Gazan civilians to return north past the Netzarim Corridor, which was meant to take place Saturday under the ceasefire and hostage deal.

Complicating the matter is that Yehud is not being held by Hamas. A senior source in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ), another militant group in the Strip, told CNN that it is holding Yehud and that she “will be released under the terms of the agreed-upon prisoner exchange deal.”

Both Hamas and Israel have accused the other of failing to stick to their end of the bargain, raising questions about how well the ceasefire that took more than 15 months to reach would hold.

[Source: BBC]