U.S. President Joe Biden has reportedly requested the withdrawal of Israeli forces from part of the 'Philadelphi Corridor,' a key issue in the Gaza Strip ceasefire negotiations, according to a U.S. online media outlet.
Axios reported on the 23rd (local time), citing Israeli officials, that President Biden made this request during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the 21st of this month. The Philadelphi Corridor is a 14 km buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Israeli officials said that President Biden requested the withdrawal of Israeli troops from a 1 to 2 km section of the Philadelphi Corridor during the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations. Biden reportedly asked for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area near Rafah, specifically adjacent to Tal al-Sultan, where many refugees are concentrated.
Officials added that Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu that agreement to this was necessary for the ceasefire negotiations to move toward a resolution.
Aide to Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that the Prime Minister agreed to relocate one Israeli military position by several hundred meters in the Philadelphi Corridor "in a way that does not compromise operational control." He added that Israeli forces are deployed along the Philadelphi Corridor and that Netanyahu "maintains the principle of preserving the current situation."
Hamas is demanding a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in the ceasefire negotiations. The Israeli daily Jerusalem Post reported that Egypt, the mediator of the Gaza ceasefire talks, is expected to present a new proposal to Hamas regarding the Philadelphi Corridor.
John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said in an online briefing that "the preliminary talks held in Cairo were constructive," and that further discussions would take place over the weekend with CIA Director William Burns in attendance.
The Philadelphi Corridor remains the biggest sticking point in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, and it is known that a compromise on this issue was a central focus of the recent Cairo meeting.
After Hamas's surprise attack on October 7 last year and Israel's subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip, Israel took control of the Philadelphi Corridor in May and plans to keep its troops stationed there even after a ceasefire to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons.
Hamas insists on a full withdrawal, and Egypt, the neighboring country and mediator of the ceasefire, also opposes the continued presence of Israeli troops.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that besides the Philadelphi Corridor, the Nitzanim Corridor, which crosses the Gaza Strip, is also a major obstacle in the negotiations. The Nitzanim Corridor refers to the passageway created by Israeli forces from the eastern separation barrier of Gaza to the western Mediterranean coast to divide Gaza north-south.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated his intention to keep troops stationed in the Nitzanim Corridor to block Hamas fighters from entering northern Gaza. Hamas believes that Israel has reneged on its previous promise to allow free movement of civilians within the Gaza Strip.
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