American newspaper reveals the situation of Hamas fighters trapped in the tunnels
Caught between dying underground or fleeing into the unknown, Hamas fighters trapped in the tunnels face a choice that could determine their fate and the future of the Gaza truce.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “food, especially water, is running out” for Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels east of Rafah, in southern Gaza.
The American newspaper, citing Arab intelligence officials and Israeli military officers familiar with the situation, reported that they “face the choice of dying in the tunnels or making a dangerous escape toward Hamas-controlled areas.”
How many are stuck in the tunnels?
Israeli forces are mapping the tunnels east of Rafah, where they have surrounded a Hamas brigade, and are using large excavators to dig into the network and destroy it with explosives, according to the Israeli army.
Israel estimates that between 100 and 200 fighters were inside the tunnels when the ceasefire took effect last October.
In public statements, Hamas officials say that 60 to 80 fighters remain entrenched there.
In some areas, Israel is flooding the tunnels in order to force the fighters out, according to a senior Israeli military official.
The besieged fighters at the negotiating table
The situation of these fighters has become a central issue in talks aimed at extending the ceasefire beyond the initial phase, with Hamas pressuring negotiators to reach an agreement allowing combatants to leave the tunnels.
Israel, for its part, says it is willing to let them live if they surrender, an offer Hamas has rejected, just as it has rejected the peace plan’s demand for disarmament and the renunciation of any role in governing Gaza.
The Israeli army states it has killed more than 40 fighters in recent weeks and captured a small number.
According to Israeli military officials, few have attempted to surrender, though no precise figure has been disclosed.
On Wednesday, four Israeli soldiers were wounded by Hamas fighters who emerged from the tunnels and attacked their armored vehicle with heavy weapons, according to the Israeli army.
Two Hamas members were killed, while a third managed to retreat into the tunnels.
Several Israeli soldiers have been killed or severely wounded in previous attacks carried out by entrenched fighters.
Israel has already conducted several heavy bombardments after stating that fighters had fired on its forces. Palestinian health authorities report that civilians were killed in some of these strikes.
A test for the second phase
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that the Gaza peace agreement would soon move to its next phase, involving the establishment of new governance and security institutions to replace Hamas, paving the way for reconstruction.
In this context, Ofer Guterman, senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, told the Wall Street Journal that the Hamas fighters trapped in the tunnels have become an early test of both sides’ ability to agree on a formula for Hamas disarmament.
Arab officials and a US official said Washington had hoped that solving the situation of the Rafah fighters could serve as a model for peaceful disarmament of Hamas.
Instead, it has become an obstacle, with foreign governments warning against sending money or forces to Gaza while fighting continues and Hamas has not stepped aside.
According to Arab officials cited anonymously, the Trump administration has not yet presented a clear plan for disarming Hamas. The movement’s leaders have publicly rejected the idea, although they are secretly negotiating its possible shape.
Proposals put forward by Israel, Hamas and mediators include integrating fighters into a new Palestinian police force under the future Gazan administration, sending them into exile, or allowing them to keep their rifles on the condition that they give up heavier weapons, such as rockets.
