Reuters quoted a senior US official as saying that a new draft agreement on a prisoner exchange deal may be issued next week or before that, stressing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements and his insistence on occupying the Philadelphi Corridor put the mediating parties in a difficult position.
The American official explained that the new proposal regarding the exchange deal aims to resolve the main points of contention, noting that the negotiators are trying to resolve the two obstacles of the Philadelphi Corridor and the lists of prisoners included in the exchange deal, in light of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip for the 335th day.
The official added that an Israeli delegation confirmed Israel’s readiness to withdraw from Philadelphia after a first phase lasting 42 days, following what was reported by The Times of Israel reported on Wednesday that Israeli officials had assured mediators in Qatar That the army withdraw completely from Philadelphia Axis It will be in the second phase of the ceasefire.
Haaretz also quoted an American official as saying that the head of Mossad had assured mediators of Israel’s readiness to withdraw from Philadelphia before Netanyahu announced his rejection.
The American official added that they want the exchange agreement “more” than Netanyahu and the head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Yahya Sinwar, and that they are pushing to achieve it in every possible way, stressing, “If we surrender, no one will deal with this issue anymore and we have no other choice.”
This comes after Netanyahu confirmed – during two press conferences on Monday and Wednesday – that he will not withdraw his army from the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border, repeating his allegations that weapons had previously passed through this corridor to Hamas.
He added, “They tell us: Leave the Philadelphi corridor for 42 days, and I say if we do that we will not return to it even after 42 years,” considering that his army’s entry into the axis forced Hamas to change its position in the negotiations, stressing that achieving the war’s goals passes through this axis, according to him.
“No new proposals”
Hamas warned on Wednesday evening that Netanyahu is thwarting an agreement to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners by insisting on remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Strip and Egypt, noting that Netanyahu’s “games” are using negotiations to prolong the aggression against the Palestinian people.
The movement said in a statement that there is no need for new proposals for a ceasefire, and that what is required now is to pressure Netanyahu and his government and oblige them to what was agreed upon during previous negotiations, in reference to news circulating in American media about Washington preparing a new proposal for a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This comes as Israeli attacks and criticism of Netanyahu escalate, accusing him of obstructing the deal that will return the detainees alive, against the backdrop of the army’s announcement of recovering the bodies of 6 prisoners from Gaza, while violent clashes erupted between police and protesters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening, in addition to a strike by the Histadrut trade union federation.