Copyright tass
LONDON, November 7. /TASS/. The US and other mediators are pressuring Israel to allow about 150 Hamas fighters to surrender their weapons in exchange for passage, the Financial Times newspaper reported. According to the newspaper's sources, earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was willing to allow the fighters trapped in the tunnels under the Israeli-controlled part of the Gaza Strip to leave, but Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich openly opposed the idea, stating that the goal of the war was to disarm Hamas. The Financial Times pointed out that US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff discussed the issue with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. According to Witkoff, the results of these talks will be a test for further efforts to disarm Hamas. On October 9, Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Turkey, agreed to implement the first phase of the peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump. According to Trump's plan, the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on October 10. On the evening of October 28, Netanyahu ordered powerful strikes on the Gaza Strip after Hamas supporters allegedly violated the ceasefire by firing on servicemen in the Rafah area in the southern part of the enclave. The army responded by attacking several military targets in the enclave. Hamas denied involvement in the Rafah incident and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 104 people were killed and 253 more were injured as a result of the Israeli strikes.
