Tel Aviv / PNN /

 The United States has urged Israel to approve a mediators’ proposal to grant a safe passage for Al-Qassam fighters outside the areas under Israeli military control in Gaza, while “U.S. pressure on Israel continues, even after Israel’s official opposition to this step.”

Israeli Channel 12 reported that U.S. envoy Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who arrived in Israel today, will discuss with Prime Minister Netanyahu the evacuation of 150 Hamas fighters from within the “yellow line” to a third country, noting that negotiations are being conducted through Turkey.

Meanwhile, a senior Turkish official told Reuters regarding the trapped militants in Rafah under Israeli-controlled territory that Turkey is working to provide a safe passage for 200 civilians trapped in the tunnels.

According to Channel 12, the U.S. administration considers the presence of Al-Qassam fighters in the Rafah tunnels a “source of tension that has led to two serious escalations, undermined the ceasefire, and they want to defuse this threat.”

High-ranking U.S. officials reportedly conveyed to Israel that the situation could serve as a “pilot project” to disarm Hamas in Gaza.

The main current U.S. approach to resolve the Rafah crisis is to temporarily relocate the fighters to a third country. However, no country has yet agreed to host them.

Under the plan being formulated by the United States and Turkey, the Hamas fighters in Rafah would pledge not to return to militant activities, surrender their weapons, and receive amnesty from Israel. They would be detained in a third country for several years, with the exact duration still under negotiation. If they refrain from resuming their militant activities, they could return to Gaza after the exile period ends.

During U.S.-Israel talks, Americans emphasized that if Israel rejects this proposal and insists on killing or arresting the Hamas fighters, it would “send a message to all other Hamas members in the Gaza Strip, who would have no option but to return to fighting, as Israel would not grant them amnesty anyway, even if they surrendered,” according to the report.

In recent days, Washington has held talks with Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt to return the remains of Israeli officer Hadar Goldin, which Tel Aviv received on Sunday. A Turkish official said Ankara helped return Goldin’s remains, describing it as “the result of intensive efforts by Turkey and reflecting Hamas’s clear commitment to the ceasefire.”

The Turkish official added that Turkey is simultaneously working to ensure safe passage for about 200 Hamas members currently trapped in the Rafah tunnels.

A U.S. official stated that although there is no direct connection between the two issues, the Trump administration “believes that the return of Goldin provides an opportunity to resolve the Rafah crisis.”

Israel: “We Won’t Kill Them… If They Surrender”

Israeli security officials do not rule out that the U.S. administration may request that Israel allow 150–200 trapped Al-Qassam fighters in Rafah to return to Gaza via a “safe passage,” under the pretext of realizing President Trump’s vision, amid U.S. pressure to start the second phase of the ceasefire plan, according to Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11).

Kan 11 reported that Israel’s proposal to resolve the crisis is: “We won’t kill them if they surrender; they will be arrested and interrogated in Israel.”

The report noted that Washington is pressuring Israel to begin implementing the second phase of Trump’s ceasefire plan, which includes, among other things, sending foreign teams into Gaza and initiating preliminary reconstruction steps with a focus on Rafah. However, the continued presence of Al-Qassam fighters in an underground tunnel in Rafah “hinders U.S. objectives.”

Kan 11 stated that Trump’s senior advisors, Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner, will meet with Israeli officials on Monday to try to resolve the Rafah issue, noting that “Israel will make a decision on this matter after consultations with U.S. officials.”

The U.S. urges Israel to approve the mediators’ proposal for safe passage for Al-Qassam fighters outside the areas controlled by the Israeli army in Gaza, while “U.S. pressure on Israel continues, even after official Israeli opposition to this step,” according to Kan 11.

It is expected that since Hamas has already committed, as part of the agreement, to return all captives, once it fulfills its obligations—including the case of Hadar Goldin, whose remains were returned on Sunday—“Israel will take a more positive stance toward this step.”

According to an Israeli source, during government discussions, it was promised that after the evacuation of the trapped Hamas fighters from Rafah, “the tunnels will be destroyed, and a model city will be built in Rafah, serving as a Hamas-free Gaza city, accommodating residents not affiliated with Hamas, with an international force in the area.”

Netanyahu May Use Goldin’s Remains to Accept Mediators’ Proposal

Haaretz reported on Sunday that Israel’s political leadership has struggled to assess whether the return of Goldin’s remains would represent a step toward an agreement allowing the trapped Hamas members to exit Rafah safely and whether this would pave the way for the second phase of the U.S. president’s plan.

In recent days, political sources noted that Goldin’s remains are already included in the agreement with Hamas, and even if Israel is pressured to release the Al-Qassam fighters, it would not be directly linked to Goldin’s return.

The U.S. administration fears that a violent confrontation between militants and Israeli forces in the area under Israeli control could jeopardize the ceasefire agreement.

Haaretz reported that if Israel approves this step, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to define the departure of the Al-Qassam fighters as a surrender, demand they hand over their weapons, and clearly declare that they will not return to terrorism.

According to an informed source cited in the report, Netanyahu will not make decisions on this matter until after consulting with U.S. officials.

The report also noted that Netanyahu “may use the return of Goldin’s body to prepare Israeli public opinion and the extremists in his government to grant amnesty to 200 Hamas members.