Hamas vows “no surrender” for fighters trapped in Rafah

• Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades blamed ‘Israeli’ forces for recent clashes in Rafah, stating their fighters are trapped and defending themselves within areas under ‘Israeli’ control.
• Hamas declared it will not surrender and noted that, despite difficult conditions, it is committed to deliver all the bodies of ‘Israeli’ captives still in Gaza.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said ‘Israeli’ forces bear full responsibility for recent clashes in Rafah, where Hamas fighters are trapped and defending themselves in areas under ‘Israeli’ control, unable to withdraw to safe areas marked accordingly by the truce agreement.

Hamas says its fighters are operating defensively within zones secured by ‘Israeli’ troops, leading to direct confrontations.

"There is no principle of surrender and handing oneself over to the enemy in the dictionary of the Qassam Brigades," the group declared.

Recent reports indicate that mediators have proposed deals to facilitate the safe extraction of Hamas fighters from Rafah, potentially as part of broader prisoner exchange negotiations.

It is estimated that 200 fighters from Hamas are in the Rafah tunnels since the ceasefire was announced, and they are currently behind the "yellow line". 

‘Israel’ accuses Hamas of stalling the handover process of dead ‘Israeli’ captives.

Hamas in response says that previous recoveries occurred under "complex and extremely difficult conditions," with them fulfilling its obligations under prior agreements.

However, extracting remaining bodies requires additional technical teams and equipment, according to Hamas.

Hadar Goldin 

Earlier today, Hamas said it will hand over the body of ‘Israeli’ officer Hadar Goldin today at 2 PM Gaza time.

Goldin, who was killed during the 2014 war on Gaza, had his remains held by Hamas for over a decade. The body was recovered yesterday afternoon from a tunnel in the Yabna refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, according to Hamas.

Hadar Goldin's case has been a focal point in all talks between ‘Israel’ and Hamas since 2014 since he was declared dead in a battle in Rafah.