Tunnel Ultimatum
The Bargain: Inside the Proposal Sent Via Mediators to Force the Surrender of 100 Trapped Terrorists
Israel has reportedly offered Hamas terrorists trapped in the Rafah tunnels a conditional surrender deal allowing them release to Gaza if they renounce war, but the terrorists have so far refused, seemingly choosing death underground.
Israel has reportedly extended a conditional offer to the remaining Hamas terrorists trapped in the subterranean "pockets of terror" beneath eastern Rafah: surrender now, or face elimination. The proposal, conveyed through mediators to the murderous terrorist organization last week, offers the trapped terrorists an extraordinary chance for survival and eventual release back into the Gaza Strip, provided they meet strict terms.
According to the proposal, any living Hamas terrorists currently hiding in the underground network beneath eastern Rafah, an area under full Israeli operational control, can exit the tunnels, surrender, and be imprisoned in Israeli facilities.
The Condition of Renunciation
The crucial condition attached to the Israeli offer outlines a path for the prisoners' eventual return to Gaza:
Following their imprisonment in Israel, the terrorists would be eligible for release and a return to the Gaza Strip, provided they formally declare they are disarming and will not continue to engage in terrorism.
This proposal represents a high-stakes effort to conclude the challenging and dangerous underground operation by pressuring the trapped terrorists to choose life over a certain death underground.
Terrorists Choose 'Martyrdom'
To date, the Hamas terrorists who received the message through mediators have not agreed to surrender. Compounding the challenge is the uncertainty regarding their communication: it is unclear if the senior Hamas leadership can even communicate with the terrorists remaining alive in the tunnels after such a prolonged disconnect.
An Israeli source commented on the refusal, saying:
"We gave the terrorists in Rafah the option to live and be released from there. To this moment, they have not agreed to meet the conditions we set; it appears they have decided to be martyrs."
The Pressure Mounts Underground
The offer comes amid intensified IDF pressure, which has severely degraded the terrorist presence in the area. Just this morning (Wednesday), six terrorists were identified emerging from the underground: four were eliminated, and two were arrested. This followed the elimination of five other terrorists who tried the same escape. The IDF estimates that half of the terrorists originally operating in this area have been eliminated.
Intelligence from a separate interrogation of six terrorists arrested last week confirmed the grim conditions underground: "There are 15 more bodies of terrorists in the tunnel system where we were hiding underground," they told investigators.
While the IDF has eliminated 30 terrorists above ground, several senior terrorist commanders, at company and battalion level, remain alive inside the tunnels. The IDF continues to deploy special forces, including the Nahal and Golani brigades, to conduct a manhunt, collapsing shafts or sealing them with concrete to cut off escape routes. It is estimated that approximately 100 terrorists are trapped in the maze of tunnels, with the goal of the IDF being to severely restrict their hiding places and force them to emerge.