Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israeli media reported on Tuesday that the Israeli government has rejected a request made by Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to former U.S. President Donald Trump, regarding members of the Palestinian group Hamas.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Kushner who visited Tel Aviv this week as part of discussions on the Gaza ceasefire and broader post-war arrangements, urged Israeli officials to allow the safe exit of around 200 Hamas fighters who remain trapped in tunnels beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The report stated that the fighters in question were unarmed and that Kushner’s proposal was linked to ongoing international efforts aimed at demilitarizing the enclave and advancing the next stages of the U.S.-backed ceasefire plan. However, Israeli authorities reportedly opposed the idea, citing security concerns and refusing to permit their evacuation.
KAN added that the rejection of Kushner’s proposal reflects growing tension between the Israeli government and Washington, particularly over how to handle the sensitive situation in Rafah and the broader question of Hamas’s future role in Gaza.
The reported disagreement comes amid intense diplomatic activity surrounding the implementation of the ceasefire deal brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. The fate of Hamas members still hiding in Rafah’s tunnels has become one of the key sticking points, with several mediators, including Turkey and the United Nations, seeking ways to prevent renewed escalation.
Neither the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office nor Kushner’s representatives have issued official statements regarding the report. However, analysts say the dispute underscores deep divisions over post-war Gaza governance and the pace of demilitarization efforts, issues that could shape the region’s political trajectory in the months ahead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held talks with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump and his special envoy, to discuss the ongoing crisis involving Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah, southern Gaza, according to reports on Tuesday.
Sources familiar with the meeting said Kushner urged Netanyahu to allow the encircled Hamas fighters to leave the area unarmed, stressing Washington’s opposition to any plan aimed at “liquidating” or executing them. Kushner reportedly conveyed the U.S. administration’s preference for either transferring the fighters to another country or ensuring they remain in Gaza without their weapons.
The meeting came amid renewed U.S. efforts to salvage a fragile peace framework, part of a broader plan associated with Trump-era diplomacy, that hinges on resolving the humanitarian and military standoff in Rafah.
Tentative Israeli–U.S. Understanding
An Israeli cabinet source told Yedioth Ahronoth that Netanyahu and Kushner had reached a tentative understanding to remove the trapped Hamas combatants from the tunnels in Rafah. The proposed arrangement would allow approximately 200 fighters to be relocated without harm.
However, according to the same source, no country has yet agreed to receive them, leaving the plan stalled. Other Israeli media outlets have since denied that any such agreement was finalized, and Netanyahu’s office has not issued a formal statement.
The issue remains a point of contention within the Israeli government, where hardliners have opposed any arrangement perceived as lenient toward Hamas fighters.
Hamas Denies Israeli Claims
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem accused Israel of fabricating the “tunnel fighters crisis” as a pretext to resume military operations and undermine U.S.-brokered ceasefire efforts.
Qassem said the movement has been working with mediators to find a resolution, and that “positive solutions” had been proposed, including one allowing the fighters to leave the tunnels and move back inside the “yellow line” territory under Hamas control. He claimed Israel rejected this offer, linking the dispute to “internal political calculations” by Prime Minister Netanyahu and divisions within his ruling coalition.
Qassem added that Hamas has presented a detailed proposal for “the day after” in Gaza, including governance and reconstruction plans, which the group claims were not seriously addressed by Israel.
Mediation Efforts Involving Turkey and Arab States
Meanwhile, multiple sources confirmed that Turkey has joined the United States, Egypt, and Qatar in mediating discussions over the fate of the trapped Hamas fighters. A Palestinian source close to the talks told Reuters that Ankara has been actively engaged in seeking a “safe passage” for the fighters from the Israeli-controlled zone in Rafah.
Two senior Turkish officials, including a spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said Turkey is mediating on behalf of around 200 Palestinians, without offering further details.
The latest initiative follows comments from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff last week, who described the Rafah issue as “a critical test” for the broader ceasefire plan. He suggested that a resolution could be achieved by securing a safe corridor allowing the fighters to return to Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza.
Fighters Ready to Surrender Weapons
According to sources familiar with the ongoing mediation, the encircled Hamas fighters have expressed willingness to surrender their weapons in exchange for safe passage to other parts of the Gaza Strip. While Hamas has not officially confirmed the number of trapped fighters, it has consistently demanded that they be allowed to relocate to areas under its control. Israel, however, continues to oppose any such arrangement.
The fate of these roughly 200 fighters has become a key obstacle in advancing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with both sides accusing each other of stalling the talks.
Diplomatic Deadlock
The Rafah standoff has become emblematic of the broader diplomatic deadlock surrounding Gaza’s post-war future. For Washington, resolving the crisis is essential to maintaining momentum behind the latest ceasefire framework. For Israel, the issue touches on domestic political sensitivities, with Netanyahu facing pressure from both his security establishment and hardline ministers who reject any leniency toward Hamas.
Regional analysts say that without agreement on the status of the trapped fighters, efforts to implement the wider U.S.-backed plan for Gaza risk faltering.
As mediators from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States continue to push for a compromise, all eyes remain on Rafah where the fate of a few hundred fighters could determine whether diplomacy moves forward or collapses back into conflict.
