A group representing families of Israel Defense Forces troops killed in action during the current war urged the United States on Monday not to pressure Jerusalem into freeing terrorists trapped in areas under IDF control in Gaza.
In a letter to U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump and an adviser in his first term, HaGvura‒The Forum for Families of Fallen Heroes called on Washington not to extend a “lifeline” to terrorists trapped in a tunnel in Gaza’s south.
“These are the terrorists responsible for the severe atrocities the State of Israel endured during the terrible massacre led by Hamas two years ago. Thanks to the determination of our soldiers, these same terrorists and murderers are now imprisoned in the tunnels in Rafah,” the NGO said.
“The sentence for these terrorists is one: death,” continued HaGvura’s open letter to Witkoff and Kushner. “If the Western nations and Israel surrender, these terrorists will immediately return to terrorism, which will harm the interests of the State of Israel and of all Western nations.”
The forum noted Hamas has failed to carry out its commitments under the U.S.-brokered truce deal it agreed to last month, and has continued to kill IDF soldiers while slow-walking the return of hostages’ bodies.
“They refuse to disarm, all while continuing to solidify the organization’s rule in Gaza,” according to HaGvura. “Do not allow this evil to continue to live and add more evil to the world,” the letter continued.
The letter concluded by urging the United States to support Israel in “eradicating Hamas, cutting off terrorism, and removing this evil from the world.”
Kushner and Aryeh Lightstone, Witkoff’s top adviser, came to Jerusalem on Monday for unannounced talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the implementation of Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
According to Israel’s Ynet outlet, the visit came amid U.S. pressure on Jerusalem not to eliminate some 200 Hamas terrorists barricaded inside a tunnel in Rafah, which is located within the IDF-controlled truce line.
Ynet reported that Jerusalem was considering a proposal under which the terrorists would surrender and lay down their weapons in return for amnesty or exile, while the tunnel would be destroyed by the IDF.
“Amid the pressure, it’s hard to believe we’ll eliminate them,” a senior Israeli official told Ynet. “There’s heavy pressure from the U.S. and the assessment is that it will be resolved through some kind of deal.”
An official briefed on the details of Monday’s meeting told Reuters it had focused on both the issue of the trapped terrorists and the International Stabilization Force envisaged for the Gaza Strip under the peace plan.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Qatar’s Al Araby Television Network on Monday that the trapped terrorists would “not surrender,” while Turkey was reportedly also working to secure their freedom.
Jerusalem believes that Hamas is deliberately slow-walking the return of the remaining deceased hostages to avoid its disarmament, which is set to take place in the second phase of Trump’s ceasefire agreement with a deployment of an International Stabilization Force in the Gaza Strip.
Instead, the terror group is buying time to reassert control over territory from which the IDF has withdrawn so it will have greater bargaining power in future talks regarding Gaza’s reconstruction, Israel has said.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Monday that Hamas was attempting to rebuild its terrorist army by smuggling weapons from Egypt’s Sinai using drones. IDF soldiers stationed in Gaza witnessed at least three attempted smugglings using UAVs during the last month alone.
The report said Jerusalem was seeking to counter the threat in several ways, including by firing directly at the drones, forming dedicated IDF units to down the UAVs, as well as employing “advanced technology.”
