Hamas fighters (AP/Mohammed Zaatari, File)
Israeli officials deny reports Prime Minister Netanyahu has made a decision on plan allowing 200 Hamas terrorists hiding in IDF-controlled territory to disarm and withdraw to Hamas-held parts of Gaza.
By World Israel News Staff
Hundreds of Hamas terrorists located in parts of Gaza under Israeli control may be permitted to cross the ceasefire boundary and join Hamas forces, under a plan now under consideration by the Israeli government.
Israeli media outlets reported Monday that Jerusalem is mulling a proposal under which some 200 Hamas terrorists hiding out on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line – the truce line demarcating the boundary between IDF-controlled and Hamas-controlled areas of the Gaza Strip – will be granted safe passage to Hamas-held territory after they surrender their weapons.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have both reportedly demanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu torpedo the proposal.
While some reports Monday claimed Netanyahu had approved the plan, an Israeli security official was quoted by reporter Ariel Kahana as saying that no decision has yet been made in the matter.
An unnamed official in the Prime Minister’s Office denied that Netanyahu had agreed to the proposal.
“The prime minister is not permitting the safe passage of 200 Hamas terrorists,” the official said. “The prime minister remains determined to disarm Hamas and to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, while preventing terror attacks against our forces.”
According to a report by Al Jazeera, some of the 200 Hamas terrorists remaining on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line are trapped in underground terror tunnels, including a number of terrorists responsible for deadly attacks on Israeli soldiers.
Amid the reports of a possible deal to arrange for the terrorists’ safe passage, several Gaza terrorists were killed after they crossed the Yellow Line into Israeli-controlled territory and approached IDF soldiers, the Israeli military announced Monday afternoon.
“Immediately after they were spotted, IDF air and ground units eliminated the terrorists in order to remove the threat from the [IDF] force.”
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