The unresolved question of the fighters’ fate has become a fault line running through Israel’s government and its ceasefire with Hamas.
Conflicting reports emerged on Monday regarding whether Israel will allow approximately 200 members of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas to leave areas under Israeli army control in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted a political source as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not allow safe passage for 200 Hamas members located in areas under army control to Palestinian-controlled territory.”
Breaking: In continued Israeli violations, the army of genocide crossed the agreed-upon line and placed yellow markers along the route from Asaliya Street in Jabalia Camp, extending through Al-Haddad Street to the Abu Qamar and Sheikh Zayed areas. pic.twitter.com/7Y2yE0UYV5
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) October 31, 2025
The paper reported that the fighters have been “stuck in the Israeli-controlled area of Gaza after the ceasefire went into effect,” adding that mediators had proposed that Israel allow them to move to Palestinian-administered parts of the Strip. The mediators’ identities were not disclosed.
According to the same political source, Netanyahu’s decision to block their passage followed pressure from far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom oppose any move perceived as lenient toward Hamas.
However, Israel’s Channel 12 reported the opposite, citing security sources who said that Israel is likely to allow the 200 fighters to leave southern Gaza, “provided they surrender their weapons.”
The channel quoted officials saying that “the political leadership will approve their return, partly because this exceptional step will allow for better protection of soldiers’ lives in the area,” while also facilitating searches for the bodies of missing Israeli captives.
Important to note the (yellow) line Israeli forces have pulled back to in Gaza, splits Gaza in half https://t.co/U5lYxfT3Q8 @medialens @CPMacL2008 pic.twitter.com/qgpVy8iV1A
— Ian Sinclair (@IanJSinclair) October 30, 2025
The network also quoted another unnamed Israeli security source as saying, “We are doing this to protect the lives of our soldiers and to disarm them, and this will also enable us to search for additional hostages.”
Meanwhile, sources told Al-Jazeera that mediators are in contact with both Hamas and Israel to secure the safe exit of the fighters stranded beyond the so-called “yellow line” — the de facto boundary separating areas under Israeli military control from those under Palestinian administration following the October 10 ceasefire.
According to the same sources, the proposed arrangement involves the fighters leaving through Red Cross vehicles within designated and secure corridors to avoid potential clashes with Israeli forces. Mediators reportedly obtained Hamas’ approval for the plan and are awaiting Israel’s response.
The Israeli army withdrew on October 10 from deep within the Gaza Strip to the “yellow line,” as stipulated in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt, Turkiye, and the United States. Under this arrangement, Israeli forces would retain control of roughly 50 percent of Gaza’s territory until the second phase, focused on prisoner and body exchanges, is implemented.
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