40 Palestinian fighters trapped in tunnels claimed to have been killed

The Israeli army has claimed to have killed about 40 Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels in the Rafah area of ​​southern Gaza. Rafah is one of the areas currently under Israeli control. The news agency Reuters reported this information in a report on Thursday (December 4).

Citing Israeli and US officials, Reuters reported that about 200 Hamas fighters had been trapped in the tunnels for the past few months. Some of them were later killed in clashes with Israeli forces or surrendered, Israeli media reported.

Washington and other mediators had previously tried to reach a deal to allow Hamas fighters to safely move to other parts of Gaza in exchange for them handing over their weapons. However, those talks have so far collapsed.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the deal would be seen as a key test step in a broader process to disarm Hamas across Gaza.

The Israeli military said at least three local commanders were among the dead. In addition, a senior Hamas leader in exile was among the dead. Israel said it had killed about 40 Hamas militants trapped in a tunnel in Gaza.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that its forces had killed about 40 Hamas militants trapped in a tunnel under Rafah in southern Gaza, a territory now under Israeli control.

According to Israeli and US officials, about 200 militants had been trapped in the tunnel for months, although some were killed in clashes with Israeli forces or surrendered, Israeli media reported.

Washington and other mediators had been trying to reach a deal for Hamas fighters to lay down their arms in exchange for them moving to other parts of the enclave, but those talks have collapsed.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the deal would be a test case for a broader process of disarming Hamas across Gaza. The Israeli military said on Thursday that at least three local commanders and the son of exiled Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad were among the militants killed.

However, some Hamas sources confirmed the death of at least one commander, Mohammed al-Bawab. Hamas has not officially confirmed the number of those captured or how many may still be held. A spokesman for the group in Gaza declined to comment on Israel’s claim that 40 people were killed.