U.S. sees Rafah tunnels crisis as potential model for disarming Hamas

"Israel is highly skeptical that Hamas will agree to disarm through diplomacy. Providing amnesty to Hamas fighters is also anathema to many in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition. President Trump has said several times that if the group refuses to disarm, it will be destroyed by Israel, but his envoys want to find a solution without allowing the war to resume."

"There are dozens of Hamas militants hiding in tunnels on the Israeli side of the "yellow line," which separates the zones of control. Skirmishes between Israeli forces and these Hamas militants led to two major breakdowns in the ceasefire. Last week, the U.S. offered Hamas militants safe passage across the yellow line for 24 hours in hopes of avoiding a repeat of such clashes. Hamas didn't initially take up the offer, but the group came back later and said it was interested."

"During those talks, the Trump administration gave Israel a proposal to resolve the Rafah crisis. It called for Hamas militants in the Rafah tunnels to surrender and hand over their weapons to a third party (Egypt, Qatar or Turkey). In return, Israel would grant amnesty to the militants provided they don't return to military activity. The Hamas militants would then be transferred from areas under Israeli control to areas under Hamas control, and the tunnels in which they operated would be destroyed."

Israel remains skeptical that Hamas will disarm through diplomacy and many in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition oppose amnesty. President Trump has warned that Israel would destroy the group if it refuses to disarm, while U.S. envoys seek a nonmilitary solution. Dozens of Hamas militants are hiding in tunnels on the Israeli side of the "yellow line" in Rafah, and skirmishes with Israeli forces caused two major ceasefire breakdowns. The U.S. offered 24-hour safe passage across the line; Hamas initially declined, later showed interest, but Israel said the deadline had passed. Mediators proposed militants surrender weapons to a third party, receive conditional amnesty, transfer to Hamas-controlled areas, and have the tunnels destroyed.

Read at Axios