In a statement responding to the Israeli army’s announcement that it had killed four Palestinians out of six it claimed to have targeted for leaving “a tunnel” in an area of Rafah, which it still occupies, the movement asserted that it had made great efforts and presented initiatives to address the issue, buthat Israel had thwarted them
Hamas added that the brutal crime committed by the occupation through the pursuit, liquidation and arrest of its fighters besieged in the tunnels of Rafah "is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and conclusive evidence of the ongoing attempts to undermine and destroy this agreement."
She explained that she had made great efforts throughout last October, with various political leaders and mediators, to resolve the problem of the fighters and their return to their homes.
She continued: "We presented specific ideas and mechanisms to address this problem, in full communication with the mediators and the American administration, as one of the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement, but the occupation undermined all these efforts."
Hamas asserted that "the occupation has prioritized the language of killing, crime, persecution, and arrest, in order to thwart the efforts of mediators who exerted great effort with various international parties to put an end to the suffering of these heroic fighters."
The movement held Israel fully responsible for the lives of its besieged fighters, calling on mediators to take immediate action and pressure Tel Aviv to allow them to return home. In its statement, the movement described these fighters as "a unique example of sacrifice, heroism, and patience, and a symbol of the dignity and freedom of the Palestinian people."
On the other hand, the Israeli army stated earlier on Wednesday that it had killed more than 20 Palestinians during the past week, claiming that they were "armed," and arrested eight others who "tried to escape from the tunnel in the area."
The issue of Hamas fighters trapped in Rafah erupted as a result of two security incidents following the ceasefire agreement, the first on October 19 and the second on October 28, in which Israel claimed that clashes had occurred with Palestinians and accused Hamas of violating the agreement.
However, the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in its first comment on the clashes that "contact has been cut off with the remaining members of its groups in Rafah since the war resumed last March."
A report published by the Egyptian "Cairo News" channel previously stated that Israel is trying to exploit this crisis to thwart the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli officials are calling for the surrender of these fighters, demanding they be transferred to Israel for interrogation, or killed if they refuse. Meanwhile, the Qassam Brigades have asserted that "the concept of surrender or handing over to the enemy is not in our vocabulary," holding Israel responsible for any clashes that occur with its members trapped in Rafah.
The city of Rafah is located within the areas that the Israeli army still occupies inside the Gaza Strip, as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and with US sponsorship, and its first phase went into effect on October 10th.
Hebrew media outlets report that approximately 200Hamas fighters are trapped in a tunnel in Rafah, and Tel Aviv has not yet responded to Hamas and mediators' demands to allow them safe passage to the movement's controlled areas in the Gaza Strip.
For two years since October 8, 2023, Israel, with American support, committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, leaving more than 69,000 martyrs and about 171,000 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to massive destruction that affected 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the Strip.
