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Gaza talks explore alternative to Israeli troops on Gaza-Egypt border: Report
Israeli and Egyptian ceasefire negotiators are in talks about an electronic surveillance system along the border between Gaza and Egypt that could allow Israel to pull back its troops from the area if a ceasefire is agreed. That’s according to two Egyptian sources and a third source familiar with the matter quoted by the Reuters news agency.
The question of whether Israeli forces stay on the border is one of the issues blocking a potential ceasefire deal because both Hamas and Egypt are opposed to Israel keeping its forces there.
Israel is worried that if its troops leave the border zone, referred to by Israel as the Philadelphi Corridor, Hamas could smuggle in weapons and supplies from Egypt into Gaza via tunnels that would allow it to re-arm and again threaten Israel.
A surveillance system, if the parties to the negotiations agree on the details, could therefore smooth the path to agreeing to a ceasefire.
Netanyahu’s office dismisses report over Israeli troops pulling back from Egypt-Gaza border
Netanyahu’s office has called a report saying Israel has been discussing the possibility of pulling back from the border between Gaza and Egypt “fake news”.
Earlier in the day, Reuters quoted three sources as saying ceasefire negotiators were in talks over an electronic surveillance system along what Israel calls the Philadelphi Corridor to stop weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza.
“The prime minister insists that Israel will remain in the Philadelphia axis,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said, referring to the strip of land in Gaza bordering Egypt. It added that Netanyahu’s position had been made clear to mediators, US officials and the Israeli cabinet.
Hamas proposes ‘national, nonpartisan’ government to take over Gaza: Report
Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, says the group has “proposed that a government of national, nonpartisan competencies take over the administration of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank after the war”. That’s according to the Palestinian Information Center, a Hamas-affiliated news outlet.
The report quoted Badran as saying that “managing the Gaza Strip after the war is an internal Palestinian matter, and we will not discuss the day after the war in Gaza with any external parties”.
“We call on the international community to put pressure on the party obstructing the negotiations and force it to stop the aggression against Gaza,” he said, according to the report.
Biden hints at progress in Gaza ceasefire talks
US President Joe Biden has hinted at progress in ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza, saying both Israel and Hamas have agreed to a “framework” he laid out six weeks ago.
Biden, in late May, detailed a proposal of three phases aimed at achieving a ceasefire. This included the release of the captives held by Hamas in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the rebuilding of the coastal enclave.
While there is still work to do, “my team is making progress and I’m determined to get this done,” the US president added.
Six weeks ago I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a ceasefire and bring the hostages home.
There is still work to do and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas.
My team is making progress and I'm determined to…
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 12, 2024
Disagreement between Netanyahu, Mossad complicating ceasefire talks: Israeli media
Israeli media outlets are reporting that disagreements between Netanyahu and intelligence chief David Barnea are complicating diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all captives.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted informed sources saying Netanyahu has been tightening his position while conducting negotiations almost single-handedly.
Israeli Channel 12 said Barnea did not voice support for the new negotiating conditions set by Netanyahu. Yedioth Ahronoth also confirmed that the prime minister and the Mossad chief did not see eye-to-eye on the Gaza ceasefire framework.
Netanyahu has hardened his demands for a ceasefire on several issues this week, including the possibility of maintaining operational control of the Palestinian side of Gaza’s Rafah Crossing at the Egyptian border.
Netanyahu reverses on key Israeli concession in ceasefire talks
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/12/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-ceasefire-talks-intl-latam/index.html
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reneged on a key Israeli concession in ceasefire negotiations, demanding that armed men be barred from returning to northern Gaza during an eventual ceasefire, an Israeli source familiar with the talks told CNN.
Israel had previously agreed to allow Palestinians fully unrestricted access to northern Gaza during an eventual ceasefire, but the Israeli Prime Minister told his negotiating team this week to demand that armed men be barred from northern Gaza as part of any ceasefire and hostage deal, the source said.
The new demand could potentially upend progress in hostage negotiations and raises further questions about Netanyahu’s commitment to Israel’s own proposal for a deal that has become the basis for detailed negotiations.
A deal isn't going to happen as long as Netanyahu is in power and Biden refuses to put his foot down. Netanyahu will keep coming up with new demands every time a deal might seem close.
