Israeli forces eliminate four Palestinian militants exiting Rafah tunnels as fragile ceasefire holds, with dozens of Hamas fighters still trapped underground.
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said it killed four Palestinian militants emerging from tunnels in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Military officials stated troops identified the militants exiting underground infrastructure in the eastern Rafah area.
Guided by the Israeli Air Force, ground forces eliminated the terrorists according to an army statement.
The military confirmed Israeli troops remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
They will continue operating to remove any immediate threat to forces.
This follows Friday’s announcement that Israeli forces killed more than 30 fighters attempting to flee tunnels.
Dozens of Hamas fighters remain holed up in southern Gaza’s tunnel network underneath Israeli-controlled areas.
Multiple sources confirmed negotiations are underway regarding the fate of these trapped fighters.
Hamas publicly acknowledged the situation on Wednesday, calling on mediating countries to pressure Israel for safe passage.
The US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on October 10 with Egypt, Turkey and Qatar as mediators.
Under the agreement, Israeli forces withdrew behind the Yellow Line marked with concrete blocks within Gaza.
The Hamas militants are trapped in tunnels located on the Israeli-controlled side of this boundary.
A prominent Hamas member estimated between 60 and 80 fighters remain underground.
The ceasefire remains fragile with both sides accusing each other of violations.
Gaza continues to experience a deep humanitarian crisis despite the truce.
The conflict began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,221 people in Israel.
Israel’s retaliatory assault has killed at least 70,100 Palestinians according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The ministry reports 354 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began.
