The city of Rafah. Photo: Omar Ashtawy / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Hamas fighters barricaded in the Israeli-controlled Rafah area of Gaza will not surrender to Israel, the group's armed wing said Sunday, calling on foreign mediators to find a solution to the crisis that threatens a month-long truce.
Sources close to the mediation efforts told Reuters on Thursday that the fighters could surrender their weapons in exchange for moving to other areas of the enclave, under a proposal to resolve the impasse.
Egyptian mediators have proposed that in exchange for safe passage, the fighters still in Rafah hand over their weapons to Egypt and provide details of the tunnels there so they can be destroyed, one of the sources, an Egyptian security official, said.
Sunday's statement by the Al-Qassam Brigades says that Israel is to blame for entering into battle with those who were only defending themselves.
“The enemy must know that the idea of capitulation and surrender does not exist in the dictionary of the Al-Qassam Brigades,” the group said.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday that the proposed deal for about 200 fighters is a test for the larger process of disarming Hamas forces in Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades did not directly comment on the ongoing negotiations regarding the fighters in Rafah, but suggested that the crisis could affect the ceasefire.
“We hold the mediators to their responsibilities and they must find a solution to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire and prevent the enemy from using flimsy pretexts to violate it and exploit the situation to target innocent civilians in Gaza,” the group said.
Since the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect in Gaza on October 10, the Rafah area has been the scene of at least two attacks on Israeli forces, which Israel has blamed on Hamas. The militant group has denied responsibility.
Rafah was the scene of the worst violence since the ceasefire took effect, with three Israeli soldiers killed, prompting Israeli retaliation that left dozens of Palestinians dead.
