Palestinian militant group Hamas on Wednesday called on mediating countries to pressure Israel to allow safe passage for dozens of its fighters holed up in tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip.
The request came after the Israeli military said that it killed more than 20 Hamas members over the past week “who attempted to flee from the underground terror infrastructure” and apprehended eight more.
“We hold [Israel] fully responsible for the lives of our fighters and call upon our mediators to take immediate action to pressure [Israel] to allow our sons to return home,” Hamas said in a statement.
Photo: Reuters
It was the first time that the militant group had publicly acknowledged that its members were trapped in the tunnels.
Israeli media have reported that for weeks, between 100 and 200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah, in an area of the Gaza Strip under Israeli military control.
Under the terms of a ceasefire brokered by the US that entered into force on Oct. 10, the Israeli army withdrew from coastal parts of the Palestinian territory to a so-called “yellow line,” which marks the area under Israeli control.
Earlier this month, US special envoy Steve Witkoff during a business conference in Miami alluded to the “200 fighters who are trapped in Rafah” and said that their surrender could be a “test” for both parties in the ceasefire, Israel and Hamas.
An Israeli government spokesperson told reporters earlier this month that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is not allowing safe passage for 200 Hamas terrorists” and that he “remains firm in his position to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.”
Hamas accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire agreement through the “pursuit, liquidation and arrest of resistance fighters besieged in the tunnels of Rafah.”