The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has blamed Israel for 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 on Sunday.

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, according to Egypt’s Al Qahera News channel.

The group said that: "The enemy must know that the concept of surrender and handing oneself over does not exist in the dictionary of the Al Qassam Brigades.”

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.

According to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he “will not allow the safe passage of 200 Hamas members” to the areas under Palestinian control.

Hamas to return remains of Israeli soldier

On Tuesday, Israel’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Hamas members will be released in exchange for the remains of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in 2014.

However, Zamir said in a security meeting on Thursday that there will be no deal with Hamas on the issue.

On Sunday, Hamas announced that it will return the body of an Israeli soldier this afternoon under a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The group’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement that the remains of Hadar Goldin will be handed over at 2 pm local time (1200GMT).

It said that Goldin’s body was found on Saturday in a tunnel in the Yebna camp in the southern city of Rafah.

Goldin was captured by Palestinian resistance fighters in 2014 during an Israeli war in Gaza.

Hamas has already released 20 Israeli hostages alive and handed over the remains of 25 out of 28, most of them Israelis, since the ceasefire took effect on October 10.

Israel, however, claimed that one of the received bodies did not match any of its listed captives.