The Israeli army radio reported, citing Israeli officials, that Tel Aviv is willing to discuss withdrawing from the Netzarim corridor as a hefty price for reaching a deal.
The army radio also stated that Tel Aviv’s security apparatus is exploring wide military operation alternatives in Rafah, but insists on an operation along the “Philadelphia axis” on the border of the sector with Egypt.
These positions represent a partial retreat in the occupation’s stance, which had previously insisted in earlier negotiation rounds on rejecting withdrawal from the axis that separates the northern Gaza Strip from its south, the only area where the occupation is currently stationed inside the sector.
For the first time during the new proposal, which was formulated in Tel Aviv in the presence of an Egyptian delegation, Tel Aviv implicitly expressed readiness to discuss ending the war in Gaza in the next stages of negotiations.
The new proposal includes responding to Hamas’s basic demands, such as readiness to fully return Palestinian refugees to their homes, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the corridor crossing the sector, and readiness to reach a permanent ceasefire, within the framework of implementing the second stage of the agreement.
Although the proposed prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal currently does not seem to meet Hamas’s basic demands for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of the occupation from Gaza, it does, however, show multiple concessions by Israel compared to previous deals.
American Pressure
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Hamas to accept what he considered a “very smart proposal” currently on the table to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Blinken’s remarks came during a meeting with several Israeli prisoner families in the Gaza Strip outside the hotel where he is staying in Tel Aviv, the last announced stop on his tour to Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Blinken said: “I had the opportunity to meet the families of some of the hostages, as I do on every visit to Israel,” according to Anadolu Agency’s correspondent.
He added, “Bringing your loved ones back home is at the core of everything we are trying to do, and we will not rest until everyone returns to their homes.”
In return, Hamas insists on the necessity of ending the war, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, the freedom of the displaced to return to their areas, and the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid within any prisoner exchange agreement.
Tel Aviv estimates the presence of 133 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, while Hamas announced the killing of 70 of them in random raids by Israel, which holds at least 9,500 Palestinians in its prisons.
For months, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been leading indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, amid mutual accusations between the movement and Tel Aviv of responsibility for its failure.
The destructive Israeli war on Gaza has left more than 112,000 dead and wounded, mostly children and women, along with famine and massive destruction, according to Palestinian and UN data.
Israel continues this war despite a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, and despite appearing for the first time before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”
