Cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas took a tentatively hopeful step forward as Egypt passed a new proposal to the terrorist group following "constructive" talks in Cairo this week, according to reports.
"The Philadelphi Corridor ... is the lifeline of Hamas … they smuggled in machinery [to Gaza to make weaponry]," IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror said during a Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) situational update.
"Israel cannot allow this to happen again," Amidror, who also serves as a JINSA Distinguished Fellow, said. "This is imperative … what [is being discussed] is how to square the circle … if a solution can be found … we might have an agreement. I’m not sure Hamas will be ready [to accept this]."
The main points of contention between the two parties remain the handling of the corridors and crossings – Rafah, Netzarim and Philadelphi – as Israel maintains that control of these passages plays a crucial part of Israeli security.
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"What the IDF [wants], and what the Prime Minister wants, is to [use Netzarim] to monitor the movement of Palestinians to the north [of Gaza] with checkpoints [and prevent terrorists from moving to northern Gaza]," Amidror explained.
This, in turn, has raised Palestinian concerns about the ongoing military presence of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The Hamas negotiators have also pushed for prisoner releases as part of the deal to release Hamas terrorists, sources familiar with the talks told Reuters.
Vice President Kamala Harris in her DNC acceptance speech reiterated her support for both Israel and the Palestinian people. She insisted that she and President Biden are working to end the war and ensure that Israel is secure and "the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination."
Egypt as well as Hamas want Israel to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, where Israeli troops advanced in May. Israel says Hamas has used the area to bring arms into Gaza. Egypt claims it has shut off smuggling routes.
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"There is a military principle, which is still valid until today: if you have an obstacle, and no one controls it, it's like you don't have an obstacle," Amidror argued. "It doesn't matter if it's above ground or under the ground."
"That's why an Israeli presence [along the Philadelphi Corridor] ... has to be there [in] the day after ... [and should be a] physical and technological presence," he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had attended talks this week, along with CIA chief William Burns, who has led the U.S. team in the negotiations as mediator between the warring sides. However, Blinken failed to achieve a breakthrough and ultimately departed before crunch talks that started Thursday.
The White House denied reports that the hostage-truce talks had collapsed, insisting that they continued to make progress and that "both sides need to come together and work toward implementation," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. Hamas also earlier this week denied that negotiators had backed away from the talks, according to The Financial Times.
Those talks have reportedly yielded a major development, leading negotiators to close gaps over the Rafah crossing and a proposed arrangement for the Philadelphi Corridor, The Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli outlet cited Army Radio, which reported that Cairo had refused to pass along Blinken’s U.S. bridging offer until after Thursday’s discussions yielded additional concessions that could finally push towards an agreement.
Army Radio reportedly added that negotiators are trying to bring Hamas representatives more directly into discussions, which will continue on Sunday.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke overnight Thursday with his American counterpart U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to discuss joint preparation and interoperability of their forces in the face of ongoing potential threat from Iran and Hezbollah.
Gallant reiterated Israel’s defeat of the Hamas Rafah brigade, which newly-ascended Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar argued would prove hugely problematic for the IDF, as well as the destruction of over 150 tunnels in the area.
Gallant emphasized the importance of the ongoing operation to dismantle Hamas infrastructure, including the tunnels he claims continue to crisscross the Gaza territory, according to a readout of the meeting.
Despite these military successes, Gallant stressed his commitment to seeing an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would lead to the release of hostages, and he thanked Austin for his commitment to Israel’s security and the ongoing U.S. support since the Oct. 7 attack.
Reuters contributed to this report.
