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Egypt agrees to deliver new Israeli proposal on Philadelphi Corridor: Report
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that Egypt and Qatar will transfer a new Israeli proposal to Hamas on the issue of the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah border crossing, which was submitted in Cairo on Thursday by Mossad and Shin Bet. Shin Bet is Israel’s internal intelligence service, and Mossad is Israel’s national intelligence agency.
The Philadelphi Corridor, also known as the Philadelphi Route, is the 14km (8.7-mile) long strip of land that represents the entirety of the border area between Gaza and Egypt. The newspaper cited an Israeli source who is reported to have said the move signalled “relative progress”.
Haaretz also reports that an Israeli source said that “the meeting of the delegations in Cairo on Thursday were constructive and closed the gaps between Egypt and Israel on the issue of the Philadelphi Corridor. Now we are awaiting Hamas’s position.”
White House says latest truce talks ‘constructive’
The White House says talks in Cairo aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire have been “constructive” with some progress made. It added that all sides need to come together to work towards implementing a proposed deal.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters that Hamas should participate in the talks, which included negotiators from Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar on Thursday.
“We’re in Cairo. They’re in Cairo. We need Hamas to participate, and we need to get down to the brass tacks of locking in these details. And that’s what we’re focused on here in the next coming days here, over the course of the weekend,” Kirby said.
How can they be constructive is the opposing party isn't even there. Kirby is only negotiating with Israel and Egypt.
Stumbling block persists in Gaza ceasefire talks
John Kirby, the US National Security Council spokesperson, has stated that reports suggesting the talks were on the verge of collapse are inaccurate.
However, the Americans have been discussing the possibility of a deal since this proposal by US President Joe Biden was revealed in May.
We know where the stumbling block is—we saw it when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the Middle East over the past few days. Blinken mentioned that a timeline has been agreed upon for the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza.
However, it was reported that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of the captives that Israeli soldiers would remain in the Netzarim Corridor—which stretches across the Gaza Strip from east to west—as well as in the Philadelphi Corridor, the buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt.
Hamas has stated that not only can this not happen, but that there cannot be any Israeli soldiers left in Gaza. The Egyptians are also not in favour of this idea. As a result, the suggestion that Benjamin Netanyahu is saying one thing to Antony Blinken and another to the families of the captives has upset the Americans.
Biden asked Netanyahu to withdraw from small part of Philadelphi corridor: Report
The Axios website has reported that the US president made the request during a call with the Israeli prime minister on Wednesday. Joe Biden asked for Israeli troops to withdraw from a 1-2km area along the Egypt-Gaza border, Axios reported, citing unnamed Israeli officials.
Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel must retain control of the entire strategic corridor, however, and his position has been a main impasse in efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire.
A Netanyahu aide told Axios that the Israeli leader agreed to change the location of one army position and move it by only a few hundred metres, “in a way that does not harm operational control” along the Philadelphi Corridor.
