Israel vows continued strikes on Hamas tunnels and fighters in Gaza

Israel will persist in targeting tunnels and fighters of Hamas in Gaza, Defense Minister Yoav Katz affirmed amid ongoing debates over the fate of militants trapped in underground complexes.

“Israel’s policy in Gaza is clear: the Israel Defense Forces are actively working to destroy tunnels and neutralise Hamas fighters without any restrictions in the yellow zone under our control,” Katz said, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media.

Katz emphasised that alongside efforts to recover the bodies of fallen hostages, Israel’s objectives include disarming Hamas and demilitarising the Gaza Strip.

The statement follows reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal from IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to exchange Hamas militants remaining in Rafah tunnels for the body of fallen soldier Hadar Goldin.

There is also a growing concern within Israel that the tunnels may also contain the remains of deceased Israeli captives, which has reportedly deterred Israeli forces from heavily bombing them in an attempt to destroy them.

Earlier reports indicate that around 200 armed Hamas fighters are sheltering in underground facilities in the area. Hamas, through intermediaries, has requested a safe corridor for evacuation.

Under the ceasefire deal that took effect on October 10, Hamas turned over all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held in Israel. Hamas also promised to turn over the remains of deceased hostages but says Gaza's war devastation has made locating bodies difficult. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.

Hamas has so far returned 21 of the 28 bodies of hostages that were buried in Gaza. In return, Israel handed over 270 bodies of Palestinians it had killed since the war began in October 2023, Gaza health authorities said.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in their cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory offensive in the Gaza Strip killed over 68,000 Palestinians, health officials in the enclave say.

By Khagan Isayev