Israel says it killed around 40 Hamas militants trapped in Gaza tunnels
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Israeli soldiers walking out from a tunnel underneath a hospital in the Gaza Strip, in June 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Israeli forces killed about 40 Hamas militants in Rafah tunnels, an area now under Israeli control, according to the Israeli military on Dec 4.
- Around 200 militants were trapped for months; some died in clashes or surrendered, and US-mediated deals for disarmament faltered, says Reuters.
- Killed militants included at least three local commanders, plus the son of Ghazi Hamad; Hamas confirmed one commander's death, Mohammad al-Bawab.
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JERUSALEM - The Israeli military said on Dec 4 that its forces have killed around 40 Hamas militants who had been trapped in tunnels below Rafah in southern Gaza, in an area now under Israeli control.
Around 200 militants had been trapped in the tunnels for months, according to Israeli and US officials, although some have since emerged and been killed in clashes with Israeli forces or have surrendered, Israeli media has reported.
Washington and other mediators had been seeking to reach a deal for the Hamas fighters to lay down their arms in exchange for passage to other parts of the enclave, but those talks have faltered.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff had said the deal would be a test for a broader process to disarm Hamas across Gaza.
The killed militants included at least three local commanders, the Israeli military said on Dec 4, as well as the son of one of Hamas’ exiled leaders, Ghazi Hamad.
Some Hamas sources confirmed the death of at least one commander, Mohammad al-Bawab, though the group has not officially confirmed the report.
Hamas has not officially confirmed the number of those trapped or how many may remain.
A spokesperson for the group in Gaza declined to comment on Israel’s alleged killing of the 40 gunmen. REUTERS
