Gaza
Hamas fighters entrenched in the Israeli-held Rafah region of Gaza have vowed not to surrender, declaring that laying down arms “does not exist in the dictionary of the Al-Qassam Brigades.” The group’s armed wing issued the statement on Sunday amid growing diplomatic pressure to end the standoff that threatens to collapse the month-old U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Egyptian mediators have reportedly proposed that remaining fighters in Rafah surrender their weapons to Egypt in exchange for safe passage and share details of tunnels to be destroyed. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff described the plan, which involves around 200 Hamas fighters, as a potential test for broader Gaza disarmament efforts.
Rejecting the proposal, Hamas accused Israel of provoking clashes and urged mediators to act swiftly to preserve the truce and prevent further bloodshed. “Mediators must ensure the ceasefire continues and stop the enemy from exploiting the situation to target civilians,” the statement read.
Rafah has witnessed the deadliest violence since the ceasefire began on October 10, with Israeli strikes killing dozens of Palestinians after three Israeli soldiers died in attacks blamed on Hamas — which the group denies.
Separately, Hamas said it would hand over the body of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, who died in Gaza, as part of an ongoing exchange. So far, Hamas has returned 23 of 28 deceased hostages, while Israel has repatriated 300 Palestinian bodies.
Gaza’s health ministry reported another Palestinian killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis. Since October 7, Hamas-led attacks have killed 1,200 Israelis and taken 251 hostages, while Israel’s retaliatory operations have left nearly 69,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health officials.
