About 200 Hamas fighters remain trapped in Rafah’s tunnels as Israel denies them access, threatening a ceasefire.
Published November 10, 2025
US mediator Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the fragile US-backed ceasefire in Gaza.
Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, who helped broker the deal, met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as part of US efforts to stabilize the fragile ceasefire.
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The talks came a month after Washington and regional powers pressed Israel to agree to a ceasefire. The ceasefire partially halts two years of Israeli shelling that has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip and killed more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, Palestinian officials said.
The meeting focused on some of the most controversial elements of President Trump’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s two-year war on the Palestinian territories, Israeli government spokesman Shosh Bedrossian said.
He said the officials discussed plans to disarm Hamas, send in international security forces and establish a technocratic government in the area without Hamas.
Hamas has repeatedly insisted that giving up arms is a red line that cannot be crossed.
Speaking in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to demilitarize Gaza “the easy way or the hard way” in a thinly veiled threat to escalate the war.
Hamas fighters in Rafah
The main point of contention is a group of about 200 Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah, an area still controlled by Israeli forces. Hamas demanded safe passage into the Gaza hinterland, but Israel refused.
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy for the Middle East, said the proposal to grant fighters safe passage in exchange for disarmament was a “test case” for a broader peace plan.
Hamas officials confirmed that negotiations over the issue were ongoing and said Hamas was keen to resolve the conflict to “eliminate any pretext for Israel to undermine the ceasefire agreement.”
However, he ruled out the possibility of forcing the fighters to surrender. Another Palestinian source, speaking to Reuters, warned that any attempt by Israel to take back Palestinians by force could jeopardize the entire ceasefire.
In addition to the immediate crisis, a cease-fire would also require the formation of a non-Hamas interim governing council for Gaza, the formation of a proposed stabilization force, and an agreement on conditions for reconstruction and disarmament. Given the political and security implications, each of these measures is expected to face resistance from both Hamas and Israel.
A proposed international force could require a UN mandate before deployment, but few countries have announced an intention to participate without one. Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye are likely to contribute.
However, the United Arab Emirates has shown hesitation. “In such a situation, the UAE would probably not participate in such a force,” Anwar Gargash, advisor to the Emirates president, said at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Discussion Forum.
