Israel says it killed 40 Hamas fighters trapped under Gaza

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had killed more than 40 Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels beneath Rafah in the Gaza Strip over the past week, putting the already fragile ceasefire at further risk.

“More than 40 terrorists were eliminated” over the past week, it said in a statement, adding that it had been working to destroy an underground tunnel system east of the city over the past 40 days. Hamas has not yet commented on the Israeli claims. 

Earlier on Sunday, the military said it had killed four Hamas members who had emerged from underground in the southern city overnight.

Dozens of Hamas members are believed to be trapped in tunnels in southern Gaza – territory that continues to be occupied by Israeli forces.

The situation has triggered efforts by mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey to negotiate their safe passage to Palestinian-controlled territory.

Hamas has ruled out the fighters surrendering their weapons and, on Wednesday, appealed to the mediators to pressure Israel to allow them to leave.

“Our fighters in Rafah cannot accept surrendering or handing over their weapons to the occupation,” senior Hamas official Husam Badran said in a statement.

Israeli officials have not shown a willingness to compromise and have rejected allowing them safe passage.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza’s urban areas behind the so-called Yellow Line. However, the Hamas fighters are in tunnels on the Israeli side of the line.

A Hamas official said on Thursday that there are estimated to be 60-80 fighters trapped beneath Rafah.

The killings threaten to further undermine the fragile seven-week-old ceasefire, which has been violated by the Israeli military on an almost daily basis.

Israeli forces have killed at least 356 Palestinians and wounded 908 others since the ceasefire came into effect on 10 October.

The Gaza Government Media Office has accused Israel of violating the truce more than 500 times.

Badran accused Israel of obstructing progress moving into the second phase of the ceasefire, which would see reconstruction efforts get underway, the establishment of a new Palestinian administration, and the deployment of an international security force.

Qatar on Saturday warned Israel against blocking phase two over the remaining deceased captives that remain in Gaza.

Hamas has released all 20 living captives and all but two of the 28 deceased hostages.

Search efforts are ongoing to locate the final two bodies.

“We do not believe Israel should be allowed to halt the implementation of the Gaza deal over these two bodies,” Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, told Al Araby Al Jadeed, adding that efforts were underway to “cut off any Israeli excuses”.