Netanyahu Rules Out Safe Passage for 200 Hamas Fighters Trapped in Rafah

Jerusalem, Nov 4: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has denied reports that Israel is considering granting safe passage to about 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in the Israeli controlled Rafah area, asserting that no such agreement is under discussion.

“The Prime Minister continues his firm stance of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Strip while thwarting terrorist threats against our forces,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Monday.

Earlier, several Israeli media outlets reported that the government might permit the militants to leave Rafah under certain conditions namely, surrendering their weapons and facilitating the return of the bodies of additional fallen hostages. Al Jazeera further claimed that mediators had discussed evacuating the fighters via Red Cross vehicles through a designated corridor.

The reports, however, sparked sharp criticism within Netanyahu’s coalition. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich took to X, calling the idea “utter madness” and urging the Prime Minister to “stop this.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also condemned the alleged plan, insisting that the trapped terrorists should be “killed or imprisoned,” not released under “ridiculous conditions.”

On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that soldiers had eliminated several terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line and posed an immediate threat to troops.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities identified the remains of three fallen soldiers Col. Assaf Hammi, Capt. Omer Neutra, and Sgt. Oz Daniel whose bodies were recently returned from Gaza.

The ongoing conflict stems from Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which left around 1,200 people dead and 252 Israelis and foreigners taken hostage. The bodies of eight Israelis are still believed to be held in Gaza.