Fighters holed up in Rafah won't surrender: Hamas

Hamas fighters holed up in the Israeli-held Rafah area of Gaza will not surrender to Israel, the group's armed wing said on Sunday, urging mediators to find a solution to a crisis that threatens the month-old ceasefire.

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Sources close to mediation efforts told reporters on Thursday that fighters could surrender their arms in exchange for passage to other areas of the enclave under a proposal aimed at resolving the stalemate.

Egyptian mediators have proposed that, in exchange for safe passage, fighters still in Rafah surrender their arms to Egypt and give details of tunnels there so they can be destroyed, said one of the sources, an Egyptian security official.

Sunday's statement from A-Qassam Brigades held Israel responsible for engaging the fighters, who it said were defending themselves.