Deep underneath the wreckage of Rafah, southern Gaza, the war is not over.
Scores of Hamas militants, split up into independent cells, are trapped in tunnels underground behind Israeli lines, as mediators try to find a solution that doesn’t collapse the month-old ceasefire in Gaza.
The issue of how to deal with up to 200 Hamas militants in Israeli-occupied territory in Gaza, is more than just a tactical problem for Israel’s military. It is a sensitive diplomatic matter with no clear way out.
These cells – and it’s unclear exactly how many there are or their precise locations – have fortified themselves in these tunnels since the ceasefire divided Gaza along the so-called yellow line one month ago: Israel occupies territory east of the line while Hamas reasserts power west of it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he has no intention of simply letting the Hamas cells walk out of the tunnels and return to the Hamas-controlled part of Gaza. Hamas has said its militants will never turn themselves in and hand over their weapons.
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