Hamas demands safe return of fighters trapped in tunnels under Israeli-held areas

Palestinian group says it holds Israel responsible for fate of its members

Hamas militants search for bodies of Israeli hostages who died in captivity. The remains of two hostages are still to be returned, to meet the ceasefire agreement's terms. AFP

Hamas has called for the safe return of its fighters trapped in tunnels in Rafah, southern Gaza, criticising Israel's "killing, pursuit and arrest" of its members in breach of the ceasefire deal.

Under the October 10, US-brokered agreement, Hamas members who agree to decommission their weapons are to be granted amnesty, and those who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries.

Hamas said it was working with mediators and the US, a guarantor of the agreement, to resolve the issue of its fighters trapped in Israeli-held areas, accusing Israel of derailing the efforts.

"The occupation has thwarted all these efforts, resorting to a language of killing, criminality, pursuit and arrest, thus sabotaging the efforts of the mediators who exerted significant effort with various international parties to end the suffering of these heroic fighters," said the group in a statement.

An agreed “yellow line” separates the areas under Israeli and Palestinian control in Gaza, as part of the truce. But many Hamas fighters are stranded in tunnels under Israeli control and the group has accused Israel of carrying out attacks far beyond the line.

Hamas said it holds Israel responsible for the safety of its fighters and urged the mediators to take action.

Israeli officials have offered Hamas members a chance to surrender, Israel's Channel 12 reported. It is unclear whether Hamas leaders are even able to communicate with their fighters in the tunnels.

At the start of the ceasefire, militants were holding 20 hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased captives.

Hamas has since released all the living hostages and returned the remains of 26. The remains of two hostages are still to be returned, to meet the truce's terms.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians.

Both sides have, since the deal, accused each other of breaches of the agreement and of obstructing further steps required by US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Monday that at least 342 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the truce on October 10. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed by militant gunfire in the same period.