Hamas refuses IOF control over Philadelphi, Netzarim corridors, Rafah
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Axios cites three Israeli officials as saying that Biden urged Netanyahu during their call on Wednesday to agree to withdraw Israeli forces from a section of the Egypt-Gaza border.
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Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan during an interview for Al Mayadeen TV
Hamas firmly rejects "Israel's" continued control over the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors and the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen on Friday.
Hamdan emphasized that the Palestinian Resistance demands "practical measures regarding what was previously agreed upon, not more negotiations," noting that Hamas has not yet received a definitive response regarding the Israeli position.
The Palestinian official affirmed that the movement refuses to receive information through the media and has informed the mediators that it is waiting to hear directly from them that the Israeli occupation has agreed to what was announced.
Negotiations regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal are ongoing in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and are expected to continue through the weekend.
Hamdan confirmed that there are ongoing contacts aimed at holding a meeting to determine the negotiation's latest results.
"Tomorrow we will have two options: If the entity agrees to the initiative, we will discuss the execution phase, or if we hear otherwise, we will inform them then of our position," he pointed out.
Regarding the United States' role, Hamdan indicated that the Americans are keen on spreading a positive atmosphere about the negotiations in order to support Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris in her election campaign.
The White House claimed earlier that progress has been made in the Cairo negotiations, slamming reports of the negotiations nearing "collapse" as inaccurate.
The US concern over a regional war, according to the Hamas official, is linked to electoral calculations and the decline of American influence globally.
He also told Al Mayadeen that the positive sentiment surrounding the ceasefire negotiations is also the result of the internal pressure on Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Israeli premier, Hamadan said, is aware that he cannot engage in a full-scale regional confrontation without the United States intervening on his side.
The senior Palestinian official underlined that the potential for escalation into a regional confrontation stems from the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in the region, asserting that the US administration is complicit in these crimes, having supported the occupation with money, weapons, and political backing.
A senior Palestinian Resistance official earlier told Al Mayadeen that the mediators have reached new formulas for approaching the contentious points between Hamas and "Israel".
According to the source, the points of contention are the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridor and the Rafah crossing, as well as the issue of Palestinian detainees in a possible prisoner exchange deal.
"Israel" insists on rejecting [the names of] about 65 detainees with sentences of life imprisonment, the source indicated.
The Israeli occupation refuses to completely withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor in the first phase of a potential deal and insists on the presence of military sites along the border, the source added.
Moreover, "Israel" insists on the deployment of the EUBAN international mission at the Rafah crossing as a condition for withdrawing from it and operating it again, the source told Al Mayadeen.
Elsewhere, the source confirmed that Hamas still insists on the July 2 paper regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal as a referential document for implementation rather than a subject for negotiation.
Biden asks Netanyahu to withdraw forces from part of Egypt-Gaza border: Axios
Earlier on Friday, Axios cited three Israeli officials as saying that US President Joe Biden urged Netanyahu during their call on Wednesday to agree to withdraw Israeli forces from a section of the Egypt-Gaza border as part of the first phase of the potential Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in order to advance the ongoing negotiations.
Axios said that Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping Israeli forces stationed along the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Egypt-Gaza border, "has become one of the main — and final — points of contention on the way to an agreement."
The Israeli officials revealed that while Netanyahu did "partially accept" Biden’s request, he only agreed to withdraw forces from a single position along the border.
According to the officials, Biden specifically requested the withdrawal of Israeli forces from a 1- to 2-kilometer strip near the Rafah coastline, adjacent to the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, where many displaced Palestinians are taking refuge.
The news website cited an Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu’s partial concession led to US support for "Israel’s" insistence that its forces should remain along the majority of the Philadelphi Corridor during the first phase of a potential agreement.
An aide to Netanyahu noted that the Prime Minister only agreed to shift one Israeli military position by a few hundred meters "in a way that does not harm operational control" along the Philadelphi Corridor.
The Israeli military "is deployed all along the Philadelphi corrdior. The prime minister stands by the principle that this situation will continue," the aide stressed.
A senior Israeli official added that during the negotiations, "Israel" provided Egypt with maps detailing the Israeli military deployment in Gaza for the first phase of the deal, including along the Philadelphi Corridor.
The Egyptians are expected to deliver these maps to Hamas on Saturday to seek the group’s response. However, Israeli officials expressed doubt that Hamas would accept the revised maps.
Read more: Olmert: Netanyahu leading 'Israel' to disaster, resignations suggested
Deep Israeli disagreements
Meanwhile, CNN reported divisions and deep disagreements between Israeli security officials and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, whose far-right members have rejected any potential ceasefire deal.
According to the network, Israeli reports cite security officials accusing Netanyahu of sabotaging negotiations.
CNN noted that even if an agreement is reached—which remains uncertain—it may only last for weeks before collapsing and the resumption of the war in Gaza, citing Netanyahu's statement in late June to the Israeli Channel 14.
"I am ready to do a partial deal, it is no secret, that will bring back some of the people," Netanyahu said at the time, "But we are committed to continue the war after the pause in order to achieve the goal of destroying Hamas. I will not give up on this."
A senior American official told the network that the Israeli military "would like a ceasefire now," which would retrieve the captives held in the Gaza Strip.
Read more: 'Israel' had refused Hamas offer to release captives, bodies last year
