Bayan News – The newspaper “Yediot Aharonot” revealed that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, despite previous opposition, has instructed the negotiating team to present the outlines acceptable to him for the “Netzarim” axis, which divides the Gaza Strip. According to the newspaper, Netanyahu is determined to dig channels to prevent vehicles from passing and redirect them eastward for inspection and scrutiny before entering the north.
Although this issue is one of the sticking points in the ongoing negotiations in Cairo regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Israel has expanded the Netzarim corridor, which splits the Gaza Strip into southern and northern sections.
Satellite Imagery
The newspaper reported yesterday that satellite images show that the Israeli army intends to develop this corridor by establishing four large military positions. “Yediot Aharonot” noted that these positions would facilitate the deployment of hundreds of soldiers from two reserve brigades tasked with securing the construction of a marine dock by the U.S. military on the Gaza coast to send humanitarian aid.
This current expansion in Netzarim reflects Israel’s determination to maintain its presence in this corridor, although the military presence of the Israeli army in Gaza was one of the issues that complicated negotiations two weeks ago in Doha and their second round in Cairo, as both the Hamas movement and Egypt opposed the retention of Israeli forces in the Philadelphia corridor as well as in Netzarim and the Rafah crossing.
Constructive Negotiations
On the other hand, John Kirby, the National Security spokesman at the White House, announced on Monday that ongoing negotiations in Cairo to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages will continue in the coming days at the working group level to resolve specific issues. According to Reuters, Kirby, in a conversation with reporters during an online meeting, rejected assessments that indicated the failure of the negotiations, stating that, on the contrary, the discussions were “constructive.”
Pessimism Regarding the Negotiations
Mediating countries (Egypt, Qatar, and the United States) have not lost hope regarding the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza to reach an agreement; however, the positions of Hamas and Israel do not indicate that a solution is available in the near future. Informed sources revealed on Sunday that both parties rejected the middle-ground solutions and proposals regarding some key points of disagreement, including the Philadelphia corridor (Salah al-Din), the Netzarim corridor, and Israel’s presence in them that had been put on the table in Cairo.
However, with the departure of the Israeli and Hamas delegations from Cairo, “technical teams” remained to continue discussions on unresolved issues.
Unresolved Issues
One of the key points of contention in these negotiations is the issue of Israel’s presence in the Philadelphia corridor (Salah al-Din), which is a narrow strip 14.5 kilometers long located on the southern border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt. Mediators proposed various options as alternatives to the presence of Israeli forces in the Philadelphia corridor and the Netzarim corridor, which crosses the center of the Gaza Strip, but according to an Egyptian source, neither party accepted any of them.
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