Overview
- Israel and the United States have a tentative understanding to deport roughly 200 militants trapped in tunnels on the Israeli-controlled side of Rafah.
- The proposal calls for the fighters to surrender, hand over weapons, receive pardons and be exiled to a third country, with an option to return after several years.
- No country has agreed to accept them, leaving the plan on hold despite ongoing diplomacy coordinated with the Trump administration.
- Egyptian mediators are in Gaza engaging Hamas on the standoff, while U.S. officials have pushed to link any free passage to the return of Lt. Hadar Goldin’s remains.
- Israeli officials are reluctant to destroy the tunnels during the ceasefire, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has publicly opposed allowing the fighters to go free.