Zamir refuses to deport the trapped Al-Qassam fighters in Rafah, and Katz orders the tunnels to be erased.

Political and military discussions continue in Israel regarding the fate of dozens of Palestinian resistance fighters trapped inside a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, as efforts by mediators intensify to solidify a ceasefire agreement and prevent its collapse again, amid contradictory statements from Israeli officials reflecting internal disagreements on how to handle the issue.

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated during a meeting of the security cabinet that he opposes allowing the deportation of the fighters trapped in the tunnels, emphasizing that "the crisis must end either with their killing or their surrender."

Zamir indicated that he opposes moving to the next phase of the exchange agreement before recovering the bodies of Israeli soldiers held in Gaza, stressing that reconstruction should not be allowed before the complete disarmament of the sector.

Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed during the meeting that the idea of deporting the fighters "was raised previously," but was canceled after he claimed that Hamas had launched attacks during ceasefire periods, resulting in the deaths of three Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli army estimates that the tunnel contains between 120 and 150 fighters from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, trapped on the Israeli side of the "yellow line."

Earlier, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the army began mapping the complex tunnel in Rafah, while citing security sources that Israel refrains from attacking it, fearing the loss of information about the deceased Israeli officer Hadar Goldin.

For its part, the Israeli army denied having any information confirming that Goldin's body is inside the tunnel, describing the circulating reports as "false claims that harm his family."

In a related context, Katz announced that he issued orders to the army to "destroy and erase" all of Hamas's tunnels in the Gaza Strip "down to the last tunnel," stating, "If there are no tunnels, there will be no Hamas."

Katz had previously confirmed in statements that the operation to "disarm Gaza" includes the complete elimination of the tunnel network, noting that this issue has become "a central priority in the yellow zone under Israeli control."

These developments come as the sector faces an unprecedented humanitarian disaster following Israel's genocidal war on October 7, 2023, which has so far resulted in more than 68,000 martyrs and 170,000 injured, in addition to widespread destruction affecting 90% of the infrastructure and famine that has claimed hundreds of lives.