Israel has begun withdrawing its troops from Gaza, starting in the Netzarim area, as part of the peace agreement recently brokered in Qatar. The move has been met with celebration by Hamas, which immediately deployed its police forces to secure the vacated areas, treating it as a victory against what they call their enemies.
The Netzarim area played a crucial role in Israel’s military strategy, as it effectively divided Gaza into two parts during the war. This tactical division allowed Israel to conduct targeted attacks against Hamas.
The decision to withdraw was reached after nearly a year of negotiations involving diplomats from Israel, Hamas, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. However, Israel’s Defense Ministry has not issued a statement regarding the withdrawal or Hamas’s deployment of police forces in the area.
Scenes of Devastation and Displacement
Journalists from Reuters captured footage of Israeli military vehicles leaving coastal areas and moving toward the Israel-Palestine border. The Israeli army initially seized control of the Netzarim area in the months following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
As displaced Palestinians returned to their homes under the terms of the Qatar agreement, many were shocked to find their neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Some discovered human remains among the ruins, a grim reminder of the conflict’s toll. Unable to endure the devastation, some refugees opted to return to the camps in southern Gaza, while others set up tents amid the destruction, effectively becoming internally displaced persons in their own homeland.
Ceasefire and Political Repercussions
The war between Israel and Hamas, which lasted for 15 months, is now effectively over following the ceasefire agreement implemented on January 19, 2025. Hamas supporters have celebrated the withdrawal as a symbolic victory, while some Israelis view it as an acknowledgment that Hamas’s goal of defeating Israel remains unfulfilled.
Meanwhile, Israel’s future plans remain uncertain. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently spoke with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced his intention to relocate all Palestinians from Gaza and place the territory under American control. Trump claimed this move would benefit both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as the broader Middle East.
However, Trump’s remarks have sparked strong opposition, particularly from Jordan. King Abdullah II dismissed the proposal as unrealistic and a direct threat to Jordan’s national identity. “This is a matter of our existence as a people. It is not an economic or political issue; it is about our identity as a nation,” he said in a statement published by Al Arabiya.
Marwan Muasher, a senior Jordanian diplomat who helped negotiate the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty, echoed the king’s concerns. Jordan, a small country with limited resources, already hosts a large Palestinian population. Approximately half of its 11 million residents are of Palestinian origin, having settled there since Israel’s establishment in 1948.
Trump has also suggested relocating Palestinians to Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, with 112.7 million people as of 2023, according to World Bank data. He argued that Jordan and Egypt have no choice but to accept U.S. proposals because they rely on American aid and support.
As the situation develops, the international community watches closely to see how Israel, Hamas, and regional powers will navigate the post-war period and its geopolitical consequences.
