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Israel, U.S. Agree on Joint Approach to Trapped Terrorists in Gaza
(Israel Hayom) Danny Zaken - The Americans want to begin talks on the second phase of the Trump plan, and remove the obstacle posed by the terrorists trapped in tunnels in southern Gaza. Visiting White House adviser Jared Kushner and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed that the issue would be resolved jointly, and that Israel would not take significant action without first informing Washington. Although Israel knows where the terrorists are hiding, it will refrain from striking the tunnel or killing them outright in order to avoid endangering the ceasefire. Israel is insisting that the terrorists surrender their weapons, viewing that step as symbolic of Hamas's eventual disarmament. Israel's position is that there will be no progress until the bodies of the four remaining hostages are returned, as required under the agreement. Israeli intelligence believes that Hamas could immediately return at least one body and a second within a short time, and that it knows the whereabouts of the other two but is deliberately delaying. The discussion also addressed Israel's veto on any Turkish participation in the future multinational force. Israel considers this a red line, with the Americans accepting Israel's stance. Moreover, no countries besides Turkey have agreed to send troops into Hamas-controlled territory before the terrorist organization disarms.