Rafah: The Palestinian resistance group Hamas held Israel responsible on Sunday for any clashes with its fighters in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. 'The (Israeli) occupation bears the full responsibility for clashes with our fighters in Rafah who are defending themselves in an area under Israel's control,' the group's military wing, Qassam Brigades, said in a statement.

According to Anadolu Agency, Hamas called on mediators to assume their responsibilities to ensure the holding of the ceasefire agreement and thwart Israeli claims to violate the deal to target civilians in Gaza. The warning comes as Israel still refuses to grant exit to Hamas fighters stranded in Rafah, despite efforts by mediators to solve the issue, as reported by Egypt's Al-Qahera News channel.

Estimates suggest that there are nearly 200 Hamas fighters trapped in Israel-held areas in Rafah. The Palestinian group demanded that mediators provide safe passage for them. Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that he 'will not allow the safe passage of 200 Hamas members' to areas under Palestinian control.

On Tuesday, Israel's Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir mentioned that Hamas members will be released in exchange for the remains of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in 2014. However, Zamir later stated in a security meeting on Thursday that there will be no deal with Hamas on the issue.

Hamas earlier on Sunday said it plans to transfer Goldin's remains at 2 pm local time (1200GMT). The group reaffirmed its commitment to the Gaza ceasefire deal and demanded additional personnel and technical equipment to help speed up the recovery of the hostage remains.

Hamas has already released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 25 out of 28, most of them Israelis, since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10. Israel, however, claimed that one of the received bodies did not match any of its listed captives.

Phase one of the ceasefire deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas. Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has resulted in more than 69,000 deaths and over 170,600 injuries, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.