The US administration has made it clear to Israel that it wishes to quickly resolve the crisis concerning the 100 to 200 terrorists located in the tunnels in Rafah, a US official told The Jerusalem Post.
“We believe they should be allowed to leave with immunity following the return of the body of the kidnapped soldier, Lt. Hadar Goldin,” the official said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Jared Kushner.
According to a report by the Saudi news channel Al Hadath, Kushner told the prime minister that the US would like Hamas terrorists to leave for areas under Hamas control or depart to another country in order to prevent a crisis.
“Finding a solution to this issue will serve as a pilot for the disarmament of Hamas,” Kushner reportedly told Netanyahu.
An Israeli official said after the meeting that “there are still no agreements regarding the terrorists in Rafah,” but said that “in the meantime, Israel continues clearing the area in Rafah.
Mediators engaged in intensive talks to find a resolution
Behind the scenes, the mediating parties – Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey – are engaged in intensive discussions to find a resolution. A source familiar with the details told the Post that “Turkey is playing a significant role in this matter, partly to prove that it must be included in the international Gaza task force.”
It appears that Turkey is not giving up easily on having a presence in the planned stabilization force. Ankara has reportedly begun recruiting 2,000 volunteers from across the Turkish military to take part in the task force it wishes to deploy to Gaza.
Officials in Trump’s administration are pressuring Israel to agree to a Turkish presence. However, Israeli sources have been adamant that “this is not going to happen.”
Another issue raised in the meeting between Netanyahu and Kushner, according to Al Hadath, was the security agreement between Israel and Syria.
A source familiar with the matter said that the US administration wishes to hold another round of talks between senior Israeli and Syrian officials in the near future. “The gaps are small, there’s no reason an agreement cannot be reached,” the source told the Post.
On Monday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Trump in Washington, and the issue was also discussed there. The Syrian president is reportedly interested in reaching an agreement, in part to promote the lifting of sanctions on Syria, a matter Sharaa has raised in meetings with members of Congress.