U.S. security officers travel to Gaza to oversee truce, officials say

U.S. security contractors have been hired to help manage the return of displaced Palestinians to the devastated northern Gaza Strip, the next step in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, according to four officials close to it. of the file.

The contractors are ready to help secure a key area that divides Gaza in two and known as the Netzarim corridor, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to visit. express publicly. The contractors aim to check vehicles carrying Palestinians from the south of the enclave for weapons, the officials said.

At the start of the war, the Israeli army ordered a mass evacuation of northern Gaza, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee south. For months, Israeli soldiers have been patrolling the Netzarim corridor, in part to prevent Palestinians from returning to the north.

But under the terms of a 42-day ceasefire, now in its fifth day, Israeli troops are expected to partially withdraw this weekend and allow Gazans to move north. The truce, which came into effect on Sunday, was negotiated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, has been saying for months that Israel will not allow armed fighters to return to northern Gaza. The mediators sought to find a compromise between Israel’s security demands and Hamas’ conditions for an Israeli withdrawal.

Gazans traveling on foot will be allowed to return without inspection, according to a copy of one of the ceasefire annexes shared with The New York Times. Under the agreement, private contractors are expected to begin screening Gazan vehicles heading north as early as Saturday.