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Turkey seeks safe passage for 200 people in Gaza tunnels amid standoff with Israel

By isabelle // 2025-11-10

• Turkey is attempting to secure safe passage for 200 people trapped in Gaza tunnels.
• It describes those trapped as civilians, while Israel identifies them as Hamas terrorists.
• This follows Turkey's recent success in facilitating the return of an Israeli soldier's remains.
• The standoff threatens to collapse a fragile, month-long ceasefire agreement.
• Israeli military leadership has given the trapped individuals an ultimatum to surrender or be eliminated.

In a critical test of a month-old ceasefire, Turkey is now engaged in high-stakes diplomacy to secure the safe passage of approximately 200 individuals it describes as civilians trapped in tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip. The effort comes as Turkey successfully facilitated the return of an Israeli soldier’s remains, highlighting its complex role as a mediator with close ties to Hamas. This development threatens to unravel a temporary peace backed by the United States and underscores the precarious humanitarian situation on the ground as the world watches to see if diplomacy can prevent a return to devastating conflict. A senior Turkish official announced the initiative late Sunday. "We are working to ensure the safe passage of some 200 Gazan civilians currently trapped in the tunnels," the official told Reuters. This statement frames the mission as a humanitarian one, aimed at protecting non-combatants caught in the dangerous and unstable underground network. This new diplomatic push follows another successful, albeit somber, exchange. The same Turkish official noted that the country "successfully facilitated the return of Hadar Goldin's remains to Israel after 11 years" following "intensive efforts." The return of Goldin, a military officer killed in an ambush during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, was handled by the Red Cross and was portrayed by Ankara as a sign of Hamas's commitment to the current ceasefire agreement.

Israel claims those trapped in the tunnels are not civilians

However, the identity of the 200 people in the tunnels is a major point of contention. While Turkey labels them "civilians," Israeli defense sources offer a different account. They identify the group as Hamas terrorists who are trapped in an Israeli-controlled enclave within Rafah’s Jenina neighborhood. This fundamental disagreement over who is underground turns a simple evacuation into a deeply complex political and military standoff. The situation is particularly volatile because the area remains a flashpoint. The Israel Defense Forces have continued their operations to destroy the tunnel system, a key strategic objective. Hamas has stated unequivocally that its fighters in the Rafah area "will not surrender," and it has called on mediators to find a solution to prevent the ceasefire from collapsing. This sets the stage for a potential confrontation, with both sides taking a hardline public position.

The stakes for a fragile peace

The month-long ceasefire, signed in October and backed by President Donald Trump, has temporarily halted the widespread violence that has characterized the conflict. Turkey was a signatory to that deal, despite its fierce criticism of Israel's military campaign and its well-documented close ties with Hamas. This places Turkey in a unique position to negotiate, but it also reveals the tangled web of alliances and animosities that define the region. The standoff has become a central diplomatic test for the fragile truce. Multiple nations, including Turkey, Egypt, and the United States, are involved in efforts to de-escalate the situation and prevent a renewed outbreak of fighting. Palestinian-American mediator Bashara Bahbah told Saudi outlet Al-Hadath that he expects an agreement "within days" to allow the individuals to leave the tunnels and move into "safe Palestinian territory." Meanwhile, the Israeli military leadership has presented a much simpler, and more brutal, binary choice. According to reports, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the cabinet that there was "no deal" regarding the terrorists in Rafah. "It’s either surrender or elimination," he stated. "If they surrender, we’ll take them in for questioning — if not, we’ll finish the job." This leaves the international community grappling with a difficult reality. The push for a peaceful resolution, championed by Turkey under the banner of civilian protection, is directly at odds with the stated military objectives of the Israeli government. The very language used, "civilians" versus "terrorists", has itself become a new front line in the ongoing battle to define the narrative and future of Gaza. As diplomats work behind the scenes, the lives of 200 people hang in the balance, and with them, the stability of an entire region. Will back-channel negotiations be able to find a face-saving solution that avoids more bloodshed, or will this tunnel complex become the spark that reignites a full-scale war? Some conflicts run too deep for any truce to contain. Sources for this article include: SputnikGlobe.com Reuters.com MiddleEastMonitor.com YnetNews.com

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