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Some 200 Hamas terrorists are trapped like rats inside Rafah’s complex tunnel system — and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he refuses to allow them to exit safely.
The gunmen are believed to be stationed beneath the Israeli-controlled part of Gaza inside Hamas’ complex tunnel system, but they are unable to retreat without risking confrontation with IDF troops, according to Israeli officials.
While Israeli media claimed that the terrorists would be allowed to exit if they give up their weapons, Netanyahu’s office denied the claims and said no such amnesty would be extended to the Hamas gunmen, the Times of Israel reported.
“The prime minister persists in his firm stance on the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Strip while eliminating terrorist threats to our forces,” an Israeli official told the TOI.
Netanyahu’s stance came after he received backlash from far-right members of his coalition enraged by the reports that Hamas members would be able to return to their section of Gaza without consequence after going beyond the “Yellow Line” currently dividing the Palestinian enclave.
Israel had warned Hamas members in October to retreat to their half of Gaza as the US-backed cease-fire took shape.
The IDF has previously stated that any and all people who cross beyond the Yellow Line would be treated as a hostile actor against the occupying soldiers.
The Israeli military currently occupies a large swath of Rafah, where two IDF soldiers were killed last month, triggering a round of heavy bombings in Gaza that threatened to dissolve the fragile cease-fire in place.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir demanded that the IDF kill or arrest every Hamas member caught beyond the Yellow Line, slamming any form of release as “ridiculous.”
Netanyahu also faced criticism from the opposition, with lawmaker Benny Gantz warning that Israel cannot give amnesty to terrorists suspected of killing Israeli soldiers.
“The terrorists outside of Gaza City violated the ceasefire, and some of them have taken part in attacks against our soldiers,” Gantz wrote on X. “We mustn’t let them out of the tunnels and reorganize — especially not when we still have hostages in Gaza.”
Hamas has repeatedly denied responsibility for the attacks on IDF soldiers during the cease-fire, with the terror group maintaining that communications have been cut off with its cells operating in zones under Israeli occupation.
