Mediators may convince Rafah terrorists to disarm under Trump’s postwar deal

Some of the terrorists, sources said, may have lost contact with their commanders and be unaware that fighting officially ended weeks ago.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Negotiators are working on a proposal that would allow Hamas terrorists trapped in the Rafah area of Gaza to surrender their weapons in exchange for safe passage to other parts of the enclave, in what sources describe as an effort to preserve the fragile ceasefire now in its second month.

Egyptian officials, who are mediating the talks, suggested that any terrorists remaining in Rafah hand their weapons to Egypt and provide maps of tunnel networks before being allowed to relocate.

The plan, according to Egyptian and regional sources, aims to prevent renewed clashes that could collapse the truce established under President Donald Trump’s U.S.-brokered peace plan.

Neither Israel nor Hamas has yet accepted the proposal, though both sides are said to be reviewing it.

Rafah, under Israeli control since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, remains tense after two deadly ambushes that killed three Israeli soldiers.

Israeli retaliatory strikes followed, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead. Intelligence assessments estimate that roughly 200 Hamas terrorists are still hiding in tunnels beneath the city.

Some of them, sources said, may have lost contact with their commanders and be unaware that fighting officially ended weeks ago.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, a lead negotiator in the Gaza talks, described the Rafah situation as a crucial trial for the wider disarmament process.

“This will show whether those fighters can lay down their arms, walk out, and begin the demilitarization we’re seeking across Gaza,” Witkoff said during remarks in Florida, calling it a “test of what comes next.”

The current ceasefire represents the first phase of President Trump’s multi-step plan to conclude the Gaza conflict.

As part of the arrangement, Hamas released the remaining 20 living hostages from the October 7 attacks in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and Israel withdrew its troops from parts of western Gaza.

The next stage of the initiative envisions Hamas relinquishing control of Gaza and turning power over to a nonpartisan Palestinian administration operating under international supervision.

Since the truce began, Hamas has returned the bodies of 22 Israeli hostages, while Israel has transferred the remains of 285 Palestinians to Gaza authorities as humanitarian exchanges continue.