Israel has prevented thousands of Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the terms of a fragile ceasefire by changing the order of hostages it has released.

Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday that he welcomed the potential for “a dialogue” with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation.

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will go into effect in less than 24 hours, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

An agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas that involves the release of additional hostages and the return of Palestinians to the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

Qatar, a key negotiator in the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, confirmed Saturday that the first hostages will be released in less than 24 hours. Qatari Foreign Minister Majid al-Ansari

Among those to be freed is Arbel Yehoud, whose release was at the center of a dispute that threatened to unravel the fragile ceasefire deal.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News' Yalda Hakim, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani spoke about peace in Gaza, Donald Trump and the need for a Palestinian state.

Trump sent Witkoff to ensure the ceasefire agreement advances to the second phase, which will require hashing out more thorny questions about Gaza’s future.

Five Thai hostages released from Gaza are reported in fair health after 15 months. Israeli doctors provide medical care and support.

When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream after his release Thursday, he had changed so much that she didn’t recognize him at first.

Five Thai hostages have been released after 15 months of captivity in the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, dozens of doctors, nurses and representatives from Israel and Thailand waved flags, sang, and cheered as the five Thai citizens stepped off a military helicopter and entered a hospital outside Tel Aviv,