In the tense aftermath of the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a complicated and precarious standoff has emerged beneath the battered streets of Rafah, Gaza. According to Israeli estimates, between 100 and 200 Hamas fighters find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of tunnels, caught in territory that abruptly shifted into Israeli military control when the truce took effect. The fate of these men, and the diplomatic and military maneuvering surrounding their predicament, now threatens the stability of a ceasefire that has already seen its share of violations and fragile agreements.
The situation unfolded with a twist of geography and timing. As reported by The Media Line, when the guns fell silent on October 10, Israeli troops did not withdraw from all of Gaza, but instead established a new boundary—known in military circles as the Yellow Line—that left them in control of more than half the territory, including key areas of Rafah. The Hamas fighters, operating underground at the time, surfaced to find themselves surrounded by Israeli patrols rather than their own comrades. Their usual escape routes now opened into what had become hostile territory, effectively turning their tunnel network into a sprawling trap.
From the Israeli perspective, this is not a breach of the ceasefire but a matter of national security. Military officials argue that the agreement allows for the dismantling of underground military infrastructure and the neutralization of armed combatants found in Israeli-controlled areas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), particularly units from the Nahal and Golani Brigades, have spent weeks encircling tunnel exits, collapsing large sections of the network, and striking dozens of military targets linked to Hamas. The IDF has presented the trapped fighters with a stark ultimatum: surrender or die underground.
Each time a Hamas fighter attempts to escape, Israeli forces are waiting. Over the past week alone, more than 20 have been killed and at least 14 captured, according to The Media Line. The IDF’s integrated surveillance systems—cameras, intelligence teams, and aircraft—monitor every possible exit, and every escape attempt ends in violence. Weapons, ammunition, and explosives have been recovered from those killed, underscoring the deadly seriousness of the standoff.
Hamas, for its part, remained silent for weeks, but on November 26, the organization finally broke its silence. In a statement, Hamas blamed Israel entirely for the crisis and demanded that mediating countries force Israel to allow the fighters safe return to Hamas-controlled areas. The group drew a firm line: the trapped men would not surrender and mediators must find another solution. Sources close to the negotiations suggest the fighters might agree to disarm but refuse to accept exile from Gaza. How Hamas has managed to communicate with its operatives underground remains a mystery.
The diplomatic front is equally fraught. Last week, Israeli officials, through intermediaries, offered terms that would allow the fighters to surrender and be relocated, though full details have not been made public. Within Israel, political opinion is divided—some advocate for accepting a surrender, while hardliners call for the total elimination of the fighters.
Egyptian diplomats have floated a proposal: the fighters could surrender their weapons to Egypt, provide information about tunnel locations, and in return, receive safe passage back to Hamas-governed parts of Gaza. However, neither side has publicly accepted this framework. American diplomacy, led by Jared Kushner, and Turkish officials are also involved in the mediation efforts. Egypt has rejected any plan that would send the fighters into permanent exile abroad, insisting instead on their return to other areas within Gaza.
The impasse is further complicated by the broader context of the ceasefire, which, while holding in name, has not stopped violence entirely. On November 25, Israel received human remains from Palestinian militants in Gaza, part of the ongoing exchange of hostages and bodies stipulated by the ceasefire agreement. According to WRAL and the Associated Press, forensic experts are working to determine if the remains belong to one of the three remaining hostages from the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack. So far, Hamas and other militant groups have returned 25 hostage bodies, while Israel has handed over 345 Palestinian bodies since the truce began.
Yet, the ceasefire is showing signs of strain. Israeli forces continue to conduct military operations in both Gaza and the West Bank. On November 27, Israeli troops carried out airstrikes and counterterrorism operations in the northern West Bank and southern Gaza, targeting militants emerging from underground infrastructure in Rafah. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 69,775 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israel’s offensive, with 345 killed since the ceasefire—figures that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but are generally considered reliable by independent experts.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Heavy winter rains have compounded the misery for over two million displaced people, while families mourn the dead and await news of missing loved ones. The Catholic charity Caritas, responding to the ongoing crisis, has repurposed the late Pope Francis’ popemobile into a mobile health clinic destined for Gaza, a gesture Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm described as a testament that “the world has not forgotten the children of Gaza.”
Meanwhile, international diplomacy is ramping up to address the next phase of the ceasefire. On November 26, Turkish, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators met in Cairo to discuss deploying an armed International Stabilization Force to oversee Hamas’ disarmament and establish an international authority to govern and reconstruct Gaza. Indonesia, with its long history in UN peacekeeping, is preparing a brigade of 20,000 troops for potential deployment, pending orders from President Prabowo Subianto. The U.S. blueprint for Gaza’s future, approved by the UN, includes a transitional authority overseen by President Donald Trump and envisions a possible path to Palestinian statehood.
Elsewhere, unrest continues to roil the West Bank. Israeli military operations in Tubas on November 27, involving Apache helicopters and ground forces, were described by local governor Ahmad Al-Asaad as a prelude to annexation, while Israeli officials said the action was in response to attempts to establish terrorist strongholds. Rising violence in the West Bank, including deadly attacks by Palestinian militants and increasing Israeli settler violence, has raised concerns that the fragile truce in Gaza could unravel further.
As if to underscore the international significance of the moment, Pope Leo XIV is set to visit Turkey and Lebanon on November 28, his first foreign trip as pontiff. The visit comes just days after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut killed a top Hezbollah commander, a stark reminder of the regional volatility that continues to shadow every development in Gaza.
For now, the standoff in Rafah remains unresolved—a microcosm of the larger conflict, where military, political, and humanitarian imperatives collide. The world watches as diplomats, soldiers, and families navigate a maze of tunnels, both literal and figurative, hoping for a way out that does not lead back to war.