Israeli troops kill most Hamas fighters trapped in Rafah tunnels: Report
Tel Aviv vowed to kill all the fighters last week after rejecting a deal that would grant them safe passage in exchange for handing over their weapons
The majority of the resistance fighters who were trapped in tunnels under Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah have been killed by the Israeli army, Hebrew media reported on 1 December.
“The Southern Command estimates that they are close to breaking most of the terrorist cells trapped in the underground tunnels in Rafah,” Israeli journalist Amir Bohbot wrote for the Hebrew news site Walla.
“The White House would like to see Israel approve Phase II and, accordingly, establish the city of Rafah as an initial model for a terror-free space that would accommodate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians after security checks,” Bohbot added.
The number of fighters trapped in the Rafah tunnels initially stood at around 200. Hamas leadership had confirmed it lost all contact with them several months ago. Two soldiers were killed by besieged resistance fighters in Rafah during the first weeks of the ceasefire, prompting indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
It is likely the trapped fighters were unaware a truce was reached. In recent weeks, western and Hebrew media reports claimed the US was pressuring Israel to accept a deal in which the fighters surrendered themselves and handed over their weapons, in exchange for being allowed to return to Hamas-controlled areas in the strip.
US officials reportedly hoped to use the surrender of the Rafah fighters as a ‘model’ for further disarmament across the enclave.
However, Israel rejected the idea and vowed to kill them all.
On Sunday, the Israeli army released a statement saying over 40 fighters have been killed in the past week. “Additionally, dozens of tunnel shafts and terrorist infrastructure sites, both above and below ground, were dismantled in the area,” it said. The fighters are running low on food and supplies, and are often targeted by Israeli troops as they attempt to emerge or flee from the tunnels.
Some of the fighters have also been arrested by the Israeli army.
According to reports, one of the resistance fighters killed recently by Israeli troops in Rafah is the son of senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad.
“Since the issue … in Rafah began, we have conducted many negotiations with mediators to reach a logical and satisfactory solution that preserves the lives and dignity of the mujahideen, but the occupation has been stalling from the start, proposing unrealistic ideas and sometimes presenting ideas only to retract them,” Hamas official Hossam Badran said on Sunday.
“Regarding surrendering, handing over weapons, and thus arrest, these were mentioned at some points during the negotiations, but they were rejected by us, and we understand that the mujahideen on the ground cannot accept such an option,” he added.
Last week, Hamas called for the fighters to be granted safe passage and condemned Israel’s “brutal” attempt to “liquidate” them.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported days ago that Tel Aviv has conveyed a proposal that would allow the remaining fighters under Rafah to be released from the tunnels, on the condition that they surrender and agree to be transferred to Israeli prisons.
The report says they would later be eligible for release and relocation as long as they pledge not to rejoin the resistance’s ranks.
“We gave the terrorists in Rafah the option to live and to leave the tunnels. So far, they have not agreed to meet the conditions we set. It appears they have decided to become martyrs,” an Israeli official told Channel 12.