Israel's handling of trapped Rafah terrorists will signal to regional powers whether it remains committed to dismantling terror infrastructure or accepts cosmetic fixes.
The debate over the fate of Hamas terrorists trapped in tunnel networks under IDF-controlled territory in Rafah may seem like a minor affair amid the constant flow of events, but its outcome could decisively shape how Israel’s enemies and regional states assess whether the Jewish state is truly determined to dismantle its adversaries or can be appeased with superficial fixes.
Hamas’s military wing made clear early this week that fighter surrender or weapons abandonment remain off the table. Mohammed Nazzal, a senior Hamas official abroad, rejected exile outside Gaza and urged mediators to intervene.
Turkey wasted no time seizing this as another diplomatic opportunity, with sources saying that it is “working to ensure safe passage for approximately 200 ‘Gazan civilians’ trapped in Rafah tunnels”—as if 200 civilians simply got stuck in underground passages.