TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has strongly rejected reports broadcast by state broadcaster Kan that Israeli forces would be prepared to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border in the next stages of a potential deal with Palestinian movement Hamas on the Palestinian enclave.
On Wednesday, Kan reported that Israel was willing to withdraw its Armed Forces from the Philadelphi Corridor in the second stage of a potential ceasefire deal in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages. Mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt are actively trying to bring the conflicting parties to an agreement.
«The report by Kan 11, according to which Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed that Israel will leave the Philadelphia axis, is untrue. Israel will insist on achieving all the war goals defined by the cabinet, including the goal that the Gaza Strip will no longer pose a threat to Israel’s security. And this, in turn, dictates the need to close the southern border,» the report says.
Hamas has said it will not accept an occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor or the Netzarim Corridor, which splits the southern and northern areas of Gaza. Egypt, which is both a mediator and an affected party because of its shared border with Gaza, said the proposal is unacceptable to them as well.
«This is not acceptable for us and of course for Hamas,» an Egyptian official with direct knowledge of the negotiations told US media.
«The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees,» he said.
