By Mohammad al-Sawalhi, Ibrahim Dahman and Sophie Tanno, CNN (CNN) — Israel completed its withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor on Sunday, a key road that splits Gaza in half, as part of its commitments under a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Palestinians have been filing through the area by foot, car and in some cases, by donkeys video footage showed, although those traveling must navigate a checkpoint and the destruction wrought by months of fighting in Gaza. “I was displaced a long time ago. I have seen people arriving on this road, sometimes even sleeping on it while waiting for the Israeli army to withdraw,” said Osama Saleem, who was waiting for his vehicle to be inspected.“I hope the Israeli army withdraws from all of Gaza and that life returns to normal,” he added. Hamas said in a statement that Israeli forces had fully withdrawn from the corridor, a six-kilometer strip of land that separates the north of the strip from its south and stretches from the Israel-Gaza border to the Mediterranean Sea. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had occupied the corridor since the early days of its war in Gaza. “The withdrawal of the Zionist occupation army from the Netzarim axis is a victory for the will of our people,” a Hamas statement issued Sunday said. There has been no confirmation from Israel, but reporters working for CNN on the ground said there were no Israeli forces present at the crossing on Sunday. Israel had used the corridor as a zone of occupation during its 15-month assault on the strip. Its troops began withdrawing from Netzarim Corridor two weeks ago as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced in the south have been able to cross Netzarim to return to their homes in the heavily bombarded north of Gaza. Israel retains its presence along Gaza’s borders with Egypt and Israel. A checkpoint run by Egyptian and Qatari officials – countries which play a mediator role between the warring sides – remains at Netzarim. Israel’s complete withdrawal from Netzarim is part of its commitment to the fragile ceasefire and hostage agreement, which on Saturday saw the release of another three hostages – bringing the number released so far to 16 out of a total of 33 people promised to be released at staggered intervals during this stage. Hours after the withdrawal, Israeli forces opened fire on civilians near Nahal Oz, an Israeli kibbutz that lies close to the border with the Gaza Strip, Palestinian authorities said. Three people were killed and others wounded in the incident, Gaza’s Civil Defense said. The IDF said it fired warning shots towards “suspects” who had approached the border in northern Gaza, and that “several hits were identified,” without acknowledging whether any civilians were killed. Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy – all taken captive during the Hamas-led October 7 attack – were freed in return for 183 Palestinian prisoners, although their frail and gaunt appearances drew condemnation from Israel. Negotiations on the agreement’s second and third phases are still in doubt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been deeply wary of phase two of the deal, which would see the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the return of the remaining hostages there. His finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has pledged to quit the government if the ceasefire continues. An Israeli official confirmed Saturday that Netanyahu is sending a delegation to Doha to discuss the deal. The official told CNN the delegation was “mid-level” and would “discuss technical details of the agreement.” In another development Sunday, Israel announced the expansion of its operation in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces shot dead a pregnant woman. CNN has approached the Israeli military for comment. Khader Al-Za’anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, contributed reporting. The-CNN-Wire & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has slammed the government for its silence during Saturday’s tsunami alert issued for more than a dozen countries, including Jamaica, calling it a “gross dereliction of duty”. On Saturday, a magnitude 7.6 quake rattled the Caribbean Sea about 130 miles off the coast of the Cayman Islands, setting off tsunami alerts along the coasts of the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Bahamas, Belize, Haiti, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. In a statement on Sunday, Opposition Spokesperson on Local Government, Natalie Neita Garvey criticised the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Ministry of Local Government for failing to issue timely warnings or guidance to the public, warning that such negligence could have led to catastrophic consequences. “At no time during the 70 minutes the alert was in effect did the country hear from its government or the responsible agency, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management,” she said. Noting a release over three hours later informing of an advisory but denying a warning, Garvey said the Opposition considers this a gross dereliction of duty and an extremely irresponsible failure by the Ministry of Local Government and the ODPEM. The late advisory from ODPEM, only shared to X (formerly Twitter), has since received public backlash. Garvey is calling for an urgent review of the country’s disaster alert and warning systems to ensure they are fully functional and supported by adequate response mechanisms, expertise and funding. She described the performance of the ministry and its agency last night as “scary” and demanded that the minister, as the accountable officer, immediately provide the nation with a credible explanation.

By Betsy Klein and Samantha Waldenberg, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump announced in an interview published Saturday that he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He wants to see people stop dying,” Trump told the New York Post. It was not immediately clear when the leaders spoke or if they had spoken since Trump took office in January, and how many times. CNN has reached out to the National Security Council for clarification. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN he “can neither deny nor confirm this news.” He added that Washington and Moscow talk “through different channels” the more the Trump administration “is gaining activity.” “So… there could be something I don’t know,” said Peskov. Trump said in the interview he “better not say” how many times he had spoken with Putin but touted a “good relationship” with his Russian counterpart. The US president expressed hope that Putin’s war in Ukraine, which is approaching its third anniversary, ends “fast.” He had previously vowed to end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office. “I hope it’s fast. Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing,” he told the New York Post. Trump said earlier this week that talks to end the war had “made a lot of progress.” During the interview, which took place as Trump traveled aboard Air Force One to Florida on Friday, the president directed his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, to “get these meetings going.” “They want to meet. Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield,” he said. On Friday, the president told reporters that he would “probably” meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this upcoming week and hinted that he planned to also talk with Putin. “I will probably be meeting with President Zelensky next week, and I will probably be talking to President Putin,” Trump said. Zelensky is expected to lead Ukraine’s delegation at the Munich Security Conference, which Vice President JD Vance and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg are also scheduled to attend, but not Trump. Earlier this week, Trump said that he wants to secure access to Ukraine’s supply of rare earth minerals in exchange for continued US assistance to the country. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, complaining that Europe had not provided Ukraine the same level of aid as the US. The transactional proposal offers some insight into Trump’s intentions when it comes to the Ukraine war. He has long complained about the US burden in arming Kyiv, but hasn’t detailed his plans for halting or continuing support since taking office. The Kremlin told CNN earlier this week there have been no serious discussions about a possible meeting between Trump and Putin. “They haven’t had any initial contact to discuss whether they need to meet or not and if they need, when and how,” Peskov said. Amid growing anticipation of contact between the two leaders, a senior Russian lawmaker told state media that “advanced” preparations were underway for a meeting, possibly as early as this month. The-CNN-Wire & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.