According to sources close to the mediation effort, the fighters could hand over their weapons in exchange for passage to other areas of the enclave, in line with a proposal by Egyptian mediators.
The plan calls for those who remain in Rafah to hand over weapons to Egypt and provide information about the tunnels to destroy them.
In a statement on Sunday, the al-Qassam Brigade stressed that Israel was responsible for the conflict and that the fighters were acting in self-defense. “The enemy must know that the concept of surrender and self-surrender does not exist in our vocabulary,” they said.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the proposed deal for around 200 fighters would be a test for a wider process of disarming Hamas across Gaza.
The al-Qassam Brigades did not directly comment on the continuation of the talks, but warned that the crisis could jeopardize the ceasefire.
“The mediators must take responsibility and ensure that the ceasefire lasts, prevent the enemy from using pretexts to violate it and target innocent civilians in Gaza,” the statement said.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Rafah has been the site of at least two attacks on Israeli forces, which Israel blames on Hamas. The group denied responsibility.
The worst violence since then happened in Rafah, when three Israeli soldiers were killed, and Israeli retaliation led to the death of dozens of Palestinians.
(Vijesti.ba)
