About 200 Hamas fighters remain trapped in Rafah tunnels as Israel refuses to grant them passage, threatening the truce.
US mediator Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss the fragile US-backed ceasefire in Gaza. Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a broker of the agreement, held talks as part of Washington’s push to stabilise the tenuous truce that followed months of diplomacy by the US and regional powers.
The ceasefire has partly halted two years of Israeli bombardment that, according to Palestinian authorities, levelled much of Gaza and left more than 69,000 people dead, mostly women and children. Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said Kushner and Netanyahu focused on some of the most contentious elements of Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war, including the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of international security forces, and the establishment of a technocratic government in Gaza that would exclude Hamas.
Hamas has repeatedly said surrendering its weapons is a red line. Addressing the Knesset, Netanyahu warned that Gaza would be “demilitarised, either the easy way or the hard way,” signalling willingness to resume force if necessary.
A key immediate flashpoint is a group of about 200 Hamas fighters reportedly trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah, an area still controlled by Israeli forces. Hamas has demanded safe passage for those fighters to Gaza’s interior; Israel has refused. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff described a proposal to allow safe passage in exchange for disarmament as “a test case” for the wider plan. A Hamas official said negotiations over the fighters were ongoing and that the group wanted to resolve the issue to prevent any pretext for Israel to undermine the ceasefire, but the official ruled out surrendering the fighters. A Palestinian source warned that any Israeli attempt to extract them forcibly could jeopardise the entire truce.
Beyond this immediate dispute, the ceasefire framework requires agreement on a transitional governing council for Gaza that excludes Hamas, formation and deployment of the proposed stabilisation force, and terms for reconstruction and disarmament. The international force would likely need a United Nations mandate before deployment, and few countries have signalled willingness to participate without one. Potential contributors mentioned include Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, while the United Arab Emirates has expressed hesitation; Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the UAE would “probably not participate” under current circumstances.