Egypt demands Israel hand over Rafah checkpoint during ceasefire
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Egypt demands Israel relinquish control of the Rafah border crossing in the early days of a potential ceasefire, reports The Times of Israel.
During negotiations in Cairo, Egyptian mediators are working to persuade Israel to gradually reduce its presence along the Philadelphia Route to facilitate an agreement with Hamas.
To convince the militant group, Egypt has told Hamas that it agrees with its position rejecting any permanent Israeli presence along the border corridor.
On Friday, Axios reported that during a phone call with US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to move one of the IDF positions a few hundred meters, which will not affect Israel's operational control over the border.
In response, Biden reportedly supported Netanyahu’s demand for IDF forces to continue holding another part of the border during the initial phase of the agreement.
Previous attempt at an agreement fails
In July, Hamas initially agreed to a US peace plan that proposed a phased ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. However, the group later withdrew its key demand for Israel to completely end the conflict.
The plan failed primarily due to Israel's reluctance to cease hostilities before the elimination of Hamas' leadership.
