Khaberni - The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), stated that their fighters entrenched in the Rafah area, which is controlled by Israel in Gaza, will not surrender to Israel, calling on mediators to find a solution to a crisis that threatens the ongoing ceasefire since last month.
On Thursday, two sources close to the mediation efforts said that the fighters could hand over their weapons in exchange for being allowed to pass to other areas of the Gaza Strip as part of a proposal aimed at resolving the crisis.
One of the sources, an Egyptian security official, said that the Egyptian mediators proposed that the fighters still in Rafah hand over their weapons to Egypt along with details about the tunnels there so that they can be destroyed in exchange for a safe exit.
A statement by the Al-Qassam Brigades on Sunday held Israel responsible for the clash with the fighters, who they said were defending themselves.
The statement read, "The occupation bears full responsibility for the encounter with our Mujahideen in Rafah, who are defending themselves in an area under its control, and let the enemy know that in the dictionary of the Al-Qassam Brigades there is no principle of surrender and self-delivery to the enemy."
The U.S. special envoy Steve Whitcov said on Thursday that the proposed deal involving about 200 fighters would be a test for a broader process of disarming Hamas throughout Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades have not directly commented on the ongoing talks about the situation of the fighters in Rafah, but they hinted that the crisis could affect the ceasefire.
They stated, "We hold the mediators responsible and they must find a solution to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire and prevent the enemy from using trivial excuses to breach it and exploit it to target innocent civilians in Gaza."
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, the Rafah area has experienced at least two attacks on Israeli forces, with Israel blaming Hamas for them, a claim denied by the movement.
