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Hamas fighters holed up successful the Israeli-held Rafah country of Gaza volition not surrender to Israel, the group’s equipped helping said connected Sunday (November 9, 2025), urging mediators to find a solution to a situation that threatens the month-old ceasefire.
Sources adjacent to mediation efforts told Reuters connected Thursday that fighters could surrender their arms successful speech for transition to different areas of the enclave nether a connection aimed astatine resolving the stalemate.
Egyptian mediators person projected that, successful speech for harmless passage, fighters inactive successful Rafah surrender their arms to Egypt and springiness details of tunnels determination truthful they tin beryllium destroyed, said 1 of the sources, an Egyptian information official.
Sunday’s connection from Al-Qassam Brigades held Israel liable for engaging the fighters, who it said were defending themselves.
“The force indispensable cognize that the conception of surrender and handing oneself implicit does not beryllium successful the dictionary of the Al-Qassam Brigades,” the radical said.
U.S. peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff said connected Thursday that the projected woody for astir 200 fighters would beryllium a trial for a broader process to disarm Hamas forces crossed Gaza.
Al-Qassam Brigades did not remark straight connected the continuing talks implicit the fighters successful Rafah but implied that the situation could impact the ceasefire.
“We spot the mediators earlier their responsibilities, and they indispensable find a solution to guarantee the continuation of the ceasefire and forestall the force from utilizing flimsy pretexts to interruption it and exploit the concern to people guiltless civilians successful Gaza,” the radical said.
Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect successful Gaza connected October 10, the Rafah country has been the country of astatine slightest 2 attacks connected Israeli forces, which Israel has blamed connected Hamas. The militant radical has denied responsibility.
Rafah has been the country of the worst unit since the ceasefire took hold, with 3 Israeli soldiers killed, prompting Israeli retaliation that killed dozens of Palestinians.
Separately, Al-Qassam Brigades said it volition manus implicit the assemblage of deceased Israeli worker Hadar Goldin successful Gaza connected Sunday astatine 2 p.m.
Since the ceasefire, Hamas has handed implicit the bodies of 23 of 28 deceased hostages. Hamas has said the devastation successful Gaza has made locating the bodies difficult. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.
Israel has released to Gaza the bodies of 300 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
Local wellness authorities said connected Sunday that 1 antheral was killed successful an Israeli airstrike successful Bani Suhaila eastbound of Khan Younis, southbound of the enclave. The Israeli subject made nary contiguous comment.
Hamas-led militants seized 251 hostages successful the October 7 attacks and killed different 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s retaliatory violative has killed astir 69,000 Palestinians, wellness officials successful the enclave say.
