ALBAWABA - The fight over a possible "safe passage" for Hamas fighters stuck in Rafah got worse on Friday when U.S. officials put more pressure on the Israeli government to let them leave an area controlled by Israel.
The public broadcaster in Israel said that Washington is telling Tel Aviv to let about 200 Hamas militants stuck inside the "yellow line" go through a humanitarian corridor. The "yellow line" is an area in Rafah that is currently under Israeli military control. Israel has said no to the plan so far.
According to Israel's Channel 12, the push comes after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the fighters give up their weapons and surrender inside Rafah's tunnels in exchange for conditional Israeli amnesty.
American officials told the network that Hamas fighters are still in the tunnels, which is a "destabilizing factor" that could end the cease-fire. They also said that Washington sees the proposal as a possible test case for wider disarmament efforts in Gaza.
But Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has stuck to his refusal. A high-ranking official in the Prime Minister's Office told the broadcaster that Netanyahu is firmly against any attempt to let about 200 armed Hamas members leave the area.
The official said that Netanyahu wants any future plans for Gaza to be based on the dismantling of Hamas, complete disarmament, and guarantees that there will be no more attacks on Israeli forces.
The disagreement shows that tensions are rising between Israel and the United States over what to do next about security in Gaza after the cease-fire.
