Mediators Ramp Up Efforts to Resolve Hamas Fighters Crisis, Maintain Gaza Ceasefire
Mediators Egypt, Türkiye and the US are ramping up their efforts to resolve the issue of Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels in Rafah as they try to advance negotiations over the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Around 200 Hamas fighters are believed to be trapped inside tunnels in Rafah, behind the Yellow Line – the areas to which Israeli forces withdrew under the ceasefire agreement.
Egyptian Mediators in Gaza
A team of Egyptian mediators are currently in Gaza to discuss the trapped fighters’ issue with Hamas officials, The National reported on Tuesday, citing informed sources.
According to a Hamas source in Beirut, negotiations over the issue were underway, with the mediation of the US, Egypt and Türkiye – the signatories of the ceasefire agreement. “There is a US mediation led by Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner, and there are also contacts on the issue involving Cairo and Ankara,” the source said.
Although mediators suggested that Hamas fighters surrender their arms in return for safe passage out of Gaza, the sources told The National that the trapped fighters agree to surrendering arms without leaving Gaza.
“They agree to give up their weapons but refuse to leave Gaza. The Egyptian team is working in Gaza in deep and high-level coordination with both the US and Israel,” one of the sources said.
Sticking Issue
The Hamas trapped fighters in Rafah is one of the main obstacles facing mediators as they try to move ahead with the implementation of the ceasefire agreement’s next phase, which includes the disarmament of Hamas, the reconstruction of Gaza, the deployment of International Stabilization Force (ISF), and the establishment of a transitional governing body.
As the US and other mediators are increasing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resolve the standoff over the trapped fighters, Israel was close to agree to a deal earlier this month, but far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition thwarted it.
In the light of this, the Hamas source told The National that the way the Israeli government deals with the issue “will affect the chances of successfully starting negotiations for the second phase of President Trump’s plan.”
The sources also said that Israel is hesitant to destroy the tunnels out of concern that it would be seen as the party that violated the ceasefire.
Egyptian-Turkish Talks
The top diplomats of Egypt and Türkiye will hold discussions in Ankara on Wednesday regarding the situation in Gaza and the next phases of the ceasefire agreement, Reuters reported citing a Turkish Foreign Ministry source.
During the planned meeting, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, will tell his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, that “the Palestinian side is adhering to the conditions of the ceasefire and managing the process in a positive way” despite Israel’s violations, the source said.
He added that Fidan will also urge the international community to help in Gaza reconstruction efforts, reiterating Türkiye’s interest in contributing to these efforts.
Although the US views Türkiye as one of the key contributors in the ISF, which will be responsible for maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has opposed the involvement of Turkish troops in Gaza.
Kushner-Netanyahu Meeting
US President Donald Trump’s advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met on Monday with Netanyahu in Israel to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire deal.
According to an Israeli government spokeswoman, the two had “discussed phase one, which we are currently still in, to bring our remaining hostages, and the future of phase two of this plan, which includes the disarming of Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and ensuring Hamas will have no role in the future of Gaza ever again,” BBC reported.
The discussions between Kushner and Netanyahu also addressed the trapped fighters’ crisis, Axios reporter, Barak Ravid, posted on X, quoting senior US officials. The sources said that the Trump administration wants to resolve the issue as soon as possible to proceed with the agreement’s next phases.
Moreover, the officials pointed to Türkiye’s key role in resolving the Rafah issue, saying that Fidan met with the US Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday in Washington to find a solution to the crisis.
According to the sources, the discussions call for the surrender of Hamas fighters and the handover of their weapons in exchange for a pardon from Israel, and exile to a third country with the option to return to Gaza after a few years. However, no third country is willing to take in those fighters. But the sources estimate that the crisis will be solved in a matter of days.
