Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan also noted that the organization is set to settle the problem of returning remains of Israeli hostages as soon as possible
DOHA – Hamas has notified the mediators about its readiness to withdraw its forces from Israel-controlled areas in the Gaza Strip, senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan said.
“We have notified the mediators that we are ready to withdraw fighters from the yellow zone,” he told the Al Jazeera television channel, referring to the so-called yellow line, or a boundary where the Israeli army has pulled back to as part of the ceasefire deal.
He also said that Hamas is set to settle the problem of returning remains of Israeli hostages as soon as possible and reiterated that the organization is committed to the ceasefire.
At the same time, he noted that Hamas continues to report ceasefire violations by Israel. In his words, the death toll from Israel actions over the ceasefire period has reached 241.
Israel and Hamas resumed Egypt-, Qatar-, United States-, and Turkey-mediated indirect talks on settling the situation in the Gaza Strip on October 6. On October 9, the parties to the conflict signed an agreement on the implementation of phase one of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan. The ceasefire came into effect on October 10. Under the deal, Israel has pulled its troops from the enclave’s central areas to the so-called yellow line but retained control over more than 50% of the Gaza Strip territory.
On October 13, Hamas and other Palestinian groups released all 20 living hostages and handed over the bodies of four deceased hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal. The Israeli side expressed resentment that Hamas returned only four out of 28 bodies of deceased hostages. Later, Hamas transferred several more bodies to Israel. By now, Hamas has returned the remains of 24 deceased hostages and continue holding four more bodies.
The Wall Street Journal said on November 6, citing sources, that several hundred Hamas fighters were trapped in tunnels under Israel-controlled parts of the Gaza Strip, with most of them being near the city of Rafah in the south of the enclave.
BY: The Times Union
