Report: Israel proposes disarmed Rafah operatives be allowed to leave tunnels under US-backed deal

Israel has reportedly offered a proposal to end the ongoing standoff in Rafah by allowing 100-200 Hamas operatives holed up in underground tunnels on the Israeli-controlled side of the Gaza Yellow Line to emerge and relocate, provided they surrender their weapons and pledge not to return to terrorism, Channel 12 reports.

Channel 12 says the US — with envoy Jared Kushner, who is currently in Israel — is urging Israel to swiftly resolve the situation to avoid derailing wider negotiations over Gaza’s future.

US officials have reportedly told Israel that the standoff over 200 operatives in Rafah should not overshadow the larger challenge of dealing with an estimated 20,000 armed operatives still active in Hamas-controlled areas.

Turkey is said to be playing a central mediating role in talks coordinated through Washington, though the report noted that no third country has yet agreed to accept the fighters should they be expelled from Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a meeting yesterday in Washington with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan “to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and next steps to ensure stability in the region” — the latest demonstration of the country’s prominent role in monitoring and implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal.