U.S., Israel exploring plan to relocate Hamas to Tunisia - report

The United States and Israel are engaged in discreet discussions, with indirect involvement from several third-party countries including Iran, over a potential plan to relocate senior Hamas leaders from Gaza to Tunisia, according to security analyst Matthias Inbar on i24NEWS.

The proposal would allow some of Hamas’s most hardline figures to voluntarily leave the enclave, echoing the 1980s precedent when Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) were exiled. Unlike then, however, the plan targets leaders of Hamas, the Islamist group rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood.

The possibility of resettling Hamas officials in Tunisia has stirred unease. While Tunisia has long backed the Palestinian cause, both public opinion and segments of the political class are far less sympathetic toward Hamas, raising concerns about hosting the group’s most radical members.

Israeli authorities, under censorship rules, have acknowledged the existence of these talks. Sources suggest Iran would quietly facilitate the transfer as part of the negotiations, though its role would remain in the background.