More than 11 years after his death in fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israel received the body of soldier Hadar Goldin from Hamas. Forensic analysis confirmed that it was indeed the young lieutenant who was killed, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his return in a government meeting this morning. Rejoiced at having recovered 250 hostages and promised: “We will bring them all back.” In fact, 4 other bodies still remain in Gaza, but Goldin’s return has been mooted by Israeli and American officials as a condition for unblocking negotiations on the safe conduct of some 150 Hamas militiamen trapped in tunnels under Rafah and Khan Yunis due to the IDF presence on the surface. Israel openly denies the existence of any such agreement, guaranteeing that it will destroy “every last tunnel” and that Palestinian fighters can only choose “whether to surrender or die.”
The United States, on the other hand, is pushing for a solution that would allow the 150 to leave their hiding places in exchange for peaceful disarmament. And this is what Hamas’ military wing is focused on: “In the lexicon of the Ezzedin al Qassam Brigades there is no place for the concept of surrender or surrendering oneself to the enemy”, they say. “The mediators must assume their responsibilities and find a solution to this crisis to guarantee the continuation of the ceasefire and prevent the enemy from using false pretenses to violate it and target innocent civilians in Gaza”, urged the Islamist faction, accusing the Jewish State of violating the ceasefire that has been in effect for a month now. Egyptian security sources told Reuters in recent days that Cairo had proposed that, in exchange for safe passage, the trapped militiamen hand over their weapons to Egypt and provide information about underground tunnels so they can be destroyed. But in the meantime, the fighters have prepared in advance for a long stay in the Jenina tunnel in Rafah, with supplies of food and water, Channel 12 claims.
The issue of a residual terrorist presence in IDF-controlled territory has so far delayed the transition to the second phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan, which is also necessary to begin the reconstruction of Gaza, at least in the initial part of the territory free of Hamas. The president’s son-in-law and envoy, Jared Kushner, who participated with Steve Witkoff in the ceasefire agreement negotiations, arrived in Israel to meet Netanyahu precisely to discuss the implementation of the plan. The US administration is also trying to define its 20-point plan in a UN Security Council resolution that sets the rules of engagement and gives an international mandate to the Stabilization Force to be stationed in Gaza with 20,000 men.
Israel reiterated that Turkey would not be part of it, as it was considered too close to Hamas and too hostile, even more so after an arrest warrant was issued against Netanyahu for genocide: “You will only see Gaza with binoculars”, wrote Defense Minister Katz in X to Turkish President Erdogan.
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