Gaza: Israeli forces withdraw from areas where the Qassam Brigades’ Shadow unit is deployed
Israeli forces withdrew from areas where members of the Qassam Brigades’ Shadow unit were deployed in the Gaza Strip, fearing a direct confrontation with Hamas members.
Israeli sources reported that members of the Shadow unit accompanied International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) crews during field operations to search for Israeli captive Hadar Goldin.
Similar operations were conducted in Khan Yunis to search for captive Amiram Cooper, using heavy equipment that entered the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian side.
Israeli forces reportedly withdrew from the search operations conducted in the territories under their control behind the Yellow Line after mediators intervened and requested that they avoid any clashes with Palestinian resistance elements deployed in the area.
Sources confirmed that Red Cross and Qassam Brigades teams are continuing their work in Rafah and Khan Yunis, amid limited humanitarian coordination aimed at resolving the issue of missing prisoners.
Meanwhile, Hamas representatives met with the Red Cross delegation in the Mawasi area to provide them with coordinates and information believed to lead to the location of the Israeli captive.
Meanwhile, political assessments in Tel Aviv indicate that the Israeli government won’t take any escalatory steps against Hamas at this time, pending the outcome of the search efforts over the next 48 hours, which US President Donald Trump has set as a deadline for reaching tangible results.
Despite the passage of days since the regionally mediated agreement between Israel and Hamas, 13 Israeli hostages remain inside the Gaza Strip, while searches in Rafah and Khan Yunis have so far yielded no significant results.
For his part, Khalil al Hayya, deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, said that the movement would soon begin searches in new areas, emphasizing its commitment to resolving this humanitarian crisis in a way that safeguards the interests of the Palestinian people and preserves existing understandings with mediators.
