Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the special envoy and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, in his Jerusalem office to discuss the issue of the some 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in tunnels on the Israeli side of Gaza's Yellow Line, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday.
They also discussed disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and ensuring Hamas has no role in Gaza ever again.
Fate of Hamas terrorists in tunnels to be decided with Trump admin.
"Any decision regarding the 200 terrorists trapped in Rafah will be made in coordination with the Trump administration," a spokesperson for Netanyahu said.Kushner arrived in Israel on Sunday for talks with Netanyahu on implementing the US plan to end the Gaza war, a source familiar with the matter said. Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive and join the talks as well.
Netanyahu met with Witkoff and Kushner just last month to discuss developments and updates in the region.
Hamas terrorists in Rafah tunnels
Senior Israeli officials estimate that US pressure will push Israel to show flexibility regarding the issue of the terrorists in the Rafah tunnels, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
“Outwardly, everyone declares that Israel will not allow those 100–200 terrorists to leave the tunnels, even if they lay down their arms,” the official said. “But behind closed doors, everyone admits: if there is significant American pressure on this issue, Israel will have no choice but to compromise.”
US officials also made it clear in recent days that they want to resolve the issue of Hamas terrorists in the tunnels, saying that they "think [the terrorists] should get free passage, after Goldin's release."
The Israeli government spokesperson told Reuters that any decision on trapped Hamas fighters will be made in collaboration with the Trump administration.
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