Israeli PM Office: Coordination with the US on Hamas in Rafah.
The Israeli TV channel 13 reported that after Jared Kushner, son-in-law and deputy to US President Donald Trump, met with Netanyahu to discuss the latest developments in Gaza and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office for Foreign Media Affairs said: “Any decision regarding the Hamas forces trapped in the Rafah tunnels will be made in cooperation with the US government.”
According to Israeli media reports, Kushner’s sudden trip to occupied Palestine came as Washington is increasing its efforts to ensure the maintenance of the ceasefire in Gaza, which was brokered by the US.
On Sunday, the Israeli media outlet i24 News also quoted Bashara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman and one of the mediators in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, as saying that Kushner is scheduled to travel to the occupied territories with Steve Whittaker, the US special representative for the Middle East.
He added that the US government has been pressuring the Israeli regime in recent days not to take any aggressive action against Hamas forces in the Rafah tunnels so as not to jeopardize the ceasefire and the continuation of the agreement.
He revealed that the Israeli regime and Hamas have reached an understanding, with US mediation, according to which, in exchange for the release of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier who has been held captive in Gaza since 2014, the movement’s forces, estimated to number 200, will be released, and the Israeli army will not be allowed to arrest or interrogate them.
The aforementioned Hamas forces are in the Rafah tunnels, and the Israeli army, despite having captured and occupied the Rafah area for more than eight months, has not only not identified the tunnels but has also failed to capture these resistance forces.