Turkey seeks safe passage for 200 civilians trapped in Gaza tunnels, official says

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ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkey is working to ensure the safe passage of some 200 civilians trapped in tunnels in Gaza, after having facilitated the return of a deceased Israeli soldier killed there more than a decade ago, a senior Turkish official said late on Sunday.

Palestinian militant group Hamas earlier said that fighters holed up in the Israeli-held Rafah area will not surrender to Israel and it urged mediators to find a solution to a crisis that threatens the month-old ceasefire.

Separately on Sunday, Israel said it received the remains of Hadar Goldin, a military officer killed in an ambush in Gaza during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, after a handover by the Red Cross.

Turkey, the senior official said, “successfully facilitated the return of Hadar Goldin’s remains to Israel after 11 years” after “intensive efforts (reflecting) Hamas’ clear commitment to the ceasefire.”

“At the same time, we are working to ensure the safe passage of some 200 Gazan civilians currently trapped in the tunnels,” the official told Reuters.

Turkey was a signatory to last month’s Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump. It has close ties with the Palestinian group and has fiercely criticised Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer, editing by Deepa Babington)