As Kushner visits Israel, the issue of trapped Hamas fighters is hindering progress in the Gaza ceasefire process
Aref Latifi, reporter
According to the Sedaye Sama News Agency, JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Nov 10 (Reuters) – U.S. mediators met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as attention turned to the second and far more complex phase of the Gaza truce plan — and to the immediate standoff over a group of Hamas fighters still trapped inside tunnels.
The meeting between Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Netanyahu came about a month after Washington and regional powers pressed Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire following two years of devastating war.
However, any progress in Trump’s ceasefire plan will not only require both sides to agree on issues that have thwarted previous peace efforts, but also to resolve the immediate stalemate over the trapped Hamas fighters.
TRAPPED FIGHTERS AS TEST CASE
Israel’s government spokesperson said Netanyahu and Kushner discussed disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and ensuring the group would never again play a governing role in the enclave — issues to be settled in the next phase of the truce talks.
Addressing Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday, Netanyahu reiterated that Gaza would be “demilitarized either the easy way or the hard way.”
A source familiar with Monday’s talks said discussions focused on two issues: the trapped Hamas fighters and the proposed international stabilization force envisioned in Trump’s Gaza plan.
According to the source, about 200 Hamas fighters remain in tunnels under Rafah, in areas still controlled by the Israeli army. Hamas has requested safe passage for them, but Israel has so far rejected the proposal.
Israel’s spokesperson said all decisions on Gaza policy are coordinated with the Trump administration.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff last week described efforts to resolve the impasse — offering safe passage for Hamas fighters in exchange for disarmament — as “a test case for the next steps in the broader ceasefire plan.”
Two Western diplomats said Israel was reluctant to grant safe passage, either to other parts of Gaza or toward Egypt.
A Hamas official said talks on the issue were continuing and that the group wanted to remove “any pretext Israel could use to undermine the ceasefire,” but insisted Hamas would not surrender its fighters.
Another Palestinian source said mediators had intensified efforts to bridge differences, fearing that any military move to force Hamas fighters to surrender could jeopardize the entire truce process.
LONG-TERM CHALLENGES TO THE PLAN
Long-term progress in the truce plan requires agreement on establishing a temporary governing authority for Gaza without Hamas participation, deploying an international stabilization force, defining its mandate, disarming Hamas, and rebuilding the territory.
Each of these steps is likely to face strong resistance from Hamas, Israel, or both. The international force may also need a U.N. mandate before countries agree to contribute troops.
A senior United Arab Emirates official said Monday that the UAE does not yet see a clear framework for such a force and would not take part under current circumstances.
BOTH SIDES TRADE ACCUSATIONS OF VIOLATING THE TRUCE
On Sunday, Hamas returned the body of an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza more than a decade ago. Four other hostages seized at the start of the latest war remain in Palestinian territory, and it is unclear whether their remains can be recovered.
Under the truce deal, Hamas was supposed to hand over the bodies of 28 remaining hostages in Gaza. Israeli officials have acknowledged that retrieving around three of them will be difficult for the group. An international taskforce will assist, according to the truce plan.
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the October truce. Israel says Hamas is stalling on returning hostage remains, while Hamas says Israel continues to block aid deliveries.
According to local health officials, at least 244 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the truce began. There have also been two deadly attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli forces in Rafah.
Local health authorities said two Palestinians, including a child, were killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza, after another man was shot dead by Israeli fire on Sunday.
Israel’s military has not yet responded to Reuters’ request for comment on the strikes.
(Reporting by Steven Scheer and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
