Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar are holding talks with the U.S. to facilitate the safe passage of Hamas fighters trapped under tunnels in southern Gaza under Israel's control, sources said Thursday.
"Discussions and communications with the mediators (Egypt, Türkiye and Qatar) and the Americans are ongoing in an effort to resolve the crisis," a Hamas leader told AFP on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the subject.
"This issue has been discussed... with Egyptian officials... this week," another Palestinian source familiar with the talks said.
A source from one of the mediating countries confirmed to AFP that the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye have been mediating "with the aim of reaching a compromise that would allow Hamas fighters to leave the tunnels behind the Yellow Line (the withdrawal line of the Israeli army) near Rafah," in the southern Gaza Strip.
Around 100 and 200 Hamas members are estimated to be trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah, in an area of the Gaza Strip under Israeli military control.
Hamas had previously said that fighters holed up in the Israeli-held Rafah area would not surrender to Israel and called on mediators to find a solution to a crisis that threatens the month-old cease-fire.
The first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza cease-fire deal went into effect on Oct. 10. Phase one includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Since then, Israel has violated the agreement hundreds of times by claiming Hamas members crossed the cease-fire zone “yellow line” and attacked Israeli soldiers, according to Gaza’s government media office.
