Egypt, Qatar, and the United States are intensifying efforts to mediate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following Hamas's decision to drop its demand for Israel to first commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing any agreement. In the latest updates on the negotiations, Israeli broadcaster reported that the Israeli negotiation delegation discussed in Cairo the issue of creating an underground barrier along the Gaza border, indicating that "Israel believes the barrier will prevent the smuggling of weapons and the digging of tunnels." It noted that Israel "intends to transfer civil control of the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia route to Egypt once an agreement regarding Gaza is finalized."
The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth highlighted that the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Netzarim and Philadelphia routes constitutes points of contention in the negotiations. Israeli officials expressed concern that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have damaged the already tense relations with Egypt with his recent statements. Netanyahu defined Israel's red lines in the negotiations, including that Israel will prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas via the border with Egypt. Officials noted that Netanyahu's comments were damaging to the talks between Israel and the Egyptians and could indeed have a negative impact on the prospects of reaching a ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of prisoners.
Israeli Internal Security Chief Ronen Bar left for Cairo on Monday, heading a security delegation to hold meetings with Egyptian officials. The Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the head of the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) are expected to travel to Doha on Wednesday to discuss a ceasefire agreement, according to a source familiar with the mediation efforts speaking to AFP on Monday.
For its part, Haaretz reported from Western sources that Washington and the mediating countries consider the talks scheduled in Doha critically important. It stated that Netanyahu’s statement on non-commitment to a ceasefire and withdrawal from Gaza complicates negotiations. It also mentioned that the mediators are awaiting the Mossad chief's position regarding Israel's flexibility on disputed points concerning the deal.
In this context, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid stated that "Netanyahu has lost control over the war, foreign relations, and his government." He said: "I will provide a safety net for the government to agree to the deal if Netanyahu finds it difficult to obtain a majority to support it, which might prolong the life of this corrupt government, but I will do everything for the hostages." He added: "I believe that Hamas has taken steps to make a prisoner exchange deal possible."
