Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, a U.S. envoy and the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, have reached a compromise regarding the fate of approximately 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in tunnel networks beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a Security Cabinet official told Ynet on Tuesday.
Under the reported terms of the agreement, Israel would allow the terrorists to be evacuated unharmed. However, no country — including Turkey and Qatar — has agreed to receive them, the official said.
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Benjamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner at the Knesset in Jerusalem
(Photo: Maayan Toaf/GPO)
According to the official, the original Trump administration plan granted amnesty to Hamas terrorists only if they surrendered their weapons, pledged not to return to terrorism and only after the return of the remains of all Israeli hostages. The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report.
The 200 Hamas operatives are currently confined to an IDF-controlled enclave in the Jenina neighborhood of Rafah. Hamas has demanded that they be transferred to the Palestinian side of the so-called “Yellow Line,” which marks territory still under IDF control. They are among hundreds — possibly thousands — of civilians and terrorists caught between the Israeli border and the Phase A withdrawal line outlined in the current ceasefire agreement.
The IDF is trying to exploit a narrow window of opportunity to destroy tunnel infrastructure in the buffer area. Similar operations in the past have led to deadly clashes. Additional pockets of Hamas terrorists are believed to be present in other Israeli-controlled zones, including the Bani Suheila enclave near Khan Younis.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir recommended that the political echelon eliminate all of them and continue locating tunnels in these zones. However, a rare opportunity emerged: Hamas offered to help locate more bodies of hostages in exchange for the safe passage of its 200 operatives to the side of the yellow line under its control. Netanyahu initially considered such proposals but backtracked due to criticism and threats from within his coalition last week.
Zamir told the Security Cabinet on Thursday that there is “no chief of staff deal” concerning the trapped terrorists, two days after suggesting he might support their release only in exchange for the return of Lt. Hadar Goldin's remains. Goldin was held by Hamas since 2014 and was returned to Israel on Sunday for burial.
“It’s either surrender or we eliminate them. If they surrender, we’ll take them in their underwear to Sde Teiman for interrogation,” Zamir said. As of now, it is unclear whether Israel offered any concession to Hamas in exchange for Goldin’s body.
Washington has been pressuring Israel to allow “safe passage” for the 200 terrorists. One proposal under consideration would have them surrender, lay down their arms, and in return receive amnesty or exile, while the tunnels they were hiding in would be destroyed. A senior Israeli official commented that “under such pressure, it's hard to believe we will eliminate them. There’s heavy U.S. pressure, and the expectation is that this will be resolved through some sort of agreement.”
Washington estimates that, following the return and burial of Goldin after 4,118 days in Hamas captivity, Netanyahu now has more political and public leeway to consider the move. Still, Netanyahu’s office has emphasized that the prime minister made no promises to the Americans regarding the release of the terrorists in Rafah.