Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels present new obstacle to Gaza ceasefire progress

US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner returned to Israel on Monday, as mediators face a new hurdle in their efforts to advance negotiations on the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal to the next, more complex phase.

Major sticking points remain unresolved, including the disarmament of Hamas, the reconstruction and future governance of Gaza, and the deployment of an international security force to the territory.

Without a timetable for the discussions, which are likely to require significant concessions from both Israel and Hamas, there are doubts that any progress can be made.

Another challenge has emerged recently, involving dozens of Hamas fighters believed to be in tunnels beneath the southern city of Rafah, behind the so-called “Yellow Line,” which marks the area under Israeli control.

Last week, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said an amnesty could be offered to fighters who laid down their arms, and that this could be a “model” for what Washington hoped to apply in the rest of Gaza.

Witkoff said 200 fighters were trapped, although this number has not been confirmed.

According to media reports, Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.

Hamas has previously said the fighters will not surrender and demanded that they be given safe passage, which has so far been rejected by Israel.

An Israeli government spokeswoman said Netanyahu and Kushner had “discussed phase one, which we are still currently in, to bring in the remaining hostages, and the future of phase two of this plan, which includes the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of Gaza and ensuring that Hamas no longer has any role in the future of Gaza.”

The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when some 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 69,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable.

The first phase of the ceasefire, which came into effect last month, focused on stopping the war, returning all hostages and ensuring an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Twenty live hostages and the remains of 24 deceased captives have been released, and four bodies remain in Gaza.

In exchange, Israel has released from its prisons 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 Gaza detainees who were being held without charge or trial. It has also handed over the remains of 315 Palestinians from Gaza.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce: Israel says Hamas has deliberately delayed the return of the hostages’ remains and Hamas says Israel has killed at least 240 Palestinians and is restricting the entry of aid supplies.

Hamas has previously rejected disarmament, saying it would only do so once a Palestinian state has been established. Israel rejects any involvement in governing Gaza by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which is the body that governs parts of the occupied West Bank. Countries are reluctant to send troops to the multinational force without clear objectives, worried that their soldiers will end up clashing with Hamas fighters and other Palestinian factions.

The Israeli army currently occupies 53% of Gaza territory and is expected to withdraw more in the next stage of the plan.

With no signs of imminent progress in negotiations, a de facto partition of Gaza between the Israeli-controlled area and one ruled by Hamas was increasingly likely, sources told Reuters news agency, with reconstruction talks apparently limited to Israeli-controlled territory.

Arab countries have already expressed concern that the current separation could turn into a permanent partition of Gaza.

The Trump plan does not include a path to creating a Palestinian state, a concept Israel rejects.