According to the agency, which quoted unnamed informed sources, Washington is pressuring Israel to agree to the mediators' proposal to grant the fighters a "safe passage" to move outside the areas under the army's control within the "yellow line," despite the Israeli government's official rejection.
The city of Rafah is located within these areas, which the ceasefire agreement, in effect since October 10, stipulates are under Israeli control to the east.
According to the Kan website, which is affiliated with the Authority, the mediators are proposing to allow Hamas fighters besieged east of Rafah to move through a "safe passage" to areas inside Gaza not controlled by the army, with this measure being intended to serve as a model for the future evacuation of a number of the movement's leaders within the framework of broader political understandings.
The sources added that no progress has been made in addressing the issue so far, and that three armed Hamas pockets still exist within the Israeli-controlled areas of Rafah and Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip and Beit Hanoun in the north, without accurate data on the number of fighters.
She also noted that there were pledges to neutralize the tunnels around Rafah after the fighters left, in preparation for establishing a "pilot model of a city without Hamas" under the supervision of an international force that would take over security and administrative tasks.
Tel Aviv, Washington, and Hamas have not issued any official statements regarding these reports as of 8:55 PM GMT. Israeli sources suggested that Tel Aviv might show greater flexibility toward the plan after Hamas fulfills its obligations regarding the prisoners.
The crisis of the fighters trapped in Rafah dates back to two security incidents following the signing of the agreement; the first on October 19, and the second on the 28th of the same month, during which Israel said clashes occurred with Palestinian militants and accused Hamas of violating the agreement.
But the Qassam Brigades, the movement's military wing, said that contact has been cut off with the remaining groups in Rafah since the war resumed last March.
Cairo News Channel previously reported that Israel is attempting to exploit this crisis to derail the agreement. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation also reported last Tuesday on a disagreement between the United States and Israel regarding how to handle the issue, noting that US envoy Jared Kushner informed Tel Aviv that all fighters must be allowed to leave for areas west of the "yellow line" without their weapons, as part of the disarmament process in the Gaza Strip.
According to the agency, Israel rejected the proposal, quoting an Israeli source as saying, "This is a naive proposal; the weapons will be waiting for them in their homes." However, the agency indicated expectations of reaching understandings, given Washington's desire to prevent actions on the ground that could lead to the collapse of the agreement, such as blowing up the tunnels or flooding them.
For its part, Israeli authorities are calling for the fighters to surrender and be transferred to Israel for investigation, or to be liquidated if they refuse, while the Qassam Brigades confirmed on Sunday that "the principle of surrender or giving up is not in its dictionary."
For two years since October 8, 2023, Israel, with American support, has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, where some 2.4 million Palestinians live.
The genocide left more than 69,000 martyrs and more than 170,000 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to massive destruction affecting 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure in the sector.