Israel says it won’t complete its withdrawal from Lebanon by Sunday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Israel’s military says it won’t complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by Sunday (January 26, 2025) as outlined in its ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah militants.

The confirmation came Saturday (January 25, 2025) while another fragile ceasefire — between Israel and the Hamas militant group — saw a second release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody.

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The ceasefire deal for Lebanon gave both sides 60 days to remove their forces from southern Lebanon and for the Lebanese army to move in and secure the area. Israel says Hezbollah and the Lebanese army haven’t met their obligations, while Lebanon accuses the Israeli army of hindering the Lebanese military from taking over.

The truce for Gaza continued as Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers held captive during the 15-month-long war in Gaza in return for 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The next exchange is expected on Feb. 1. The truce also halted the fighting in Gaza for at least six weeks.

But Israel says it won’t allow displaced Palestinians to begin returning to northern Gaza as expected by Sunday, because a civilian hostage who was supposed to be released by Hamas hadn’t been freed on Saturday. Mediators are trying to resolve the dispute.

The war was sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people. The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 47,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities, which don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.