Hamas told to withdraw fighters from 'Israeli'-controlled Gaza zone within 24 hours
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- Egypt and Qatar gave Hamas 24 hours to withdraw from 'Israeli'-controlled Gaza or face strikes.
- Deadline passed Thursday; 'Israel' cleared to target Hamas near Yellow Line amid Rafah attack denials.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators informed Hamas on Wednesday night that it had 24 hours to withdraw its fighters from the 'Israeli'-controlled eastern half of Gaza or face potential 'Israeli' strikes, a US official Axios.
The deadline expired at 8 p.m. local time Thursday, after which 'Israel' received approval from the US, Egypt, and Qatar to target Hamas positions on the 'Israeli' side of the so-called Yellow Line dividing the territory.
The US official did not clarify how Hamas fighters ended up on the 'Israeli'-controlled side of the line. Sources said the demarcation has not been consistently enforced and remains unclear in several areas, having been drawn only weeks ago under the ceasefire arrangement.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier this month that he had instructed the IOF to warn Hamas to withdraw via the US-led monitoring mechanism.
Military officials believe some Hamas operatives remain in tunnel networks inside 'Israeli'-controlled zones.
This follows two alleged attacks on 'Israeli' troops in Rafah during the ceasefire, with Hamas denying involvement in either incident.
