The updated U.S. “bridging proposal” for a hostage release-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was received by the terror group’s leader Yahya Sinwar on Tuesday, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.
The proposal was accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and would allow Israeli soldiers to continue patroling part of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, according to a New York Times report.
Even though the proposal calls for a reduced number of IDF troops, Israeli officials say Sinwar will likely reject the plan, keeping in line with Hamas’ current public position. To bring Hamas to the negotiating table, mediators are encouraging Netanyahu to demonstrate flexibility.
Netanyahu has insisted on IDF troops remaining on the Philadelphi Route and Netzarim Corridor for strategic and security reasons, such as preventing the return of armed gunmen to northern Gaza.
Some Israeli negotiators have criticized Netanyahu’s demands for causing issues at the talks in Doha last week. The U.S. requested delaying in-depth conversations regarding Israel’s demand to screen displaced Palestinians for weapons before allowing them to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
According to the report, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Biden administration are optimistic about the prospects for a deal, partly due to the Democratic National Convention taking place this week and because Washington hopes to prevent an escalated regional conflict ahead of the presidential elections in November.
Negotiators are expected to attend a planned summit session in Cairo on Thursday or Friday and will push for a compromise between Netanyahu and the mediators by potentially reducing the number of IDF positions on the Philadelphi Corridor.
Alongside the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been the main mediators for the deal to secure the release of the remaining 109 hostages.
Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said Israel should not agree to retreat from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border, even for a temporary period, according to an interview with The Jerusalem Post.
Chikli acknowledged the priority of freeing the hostages, but said “it was the government’s duty, in light of what we saw in hostage deals in the past, not to lead to an outcome that endangers Israeli security.”
Chikli called the corridor a “lifeline” for the Hamas terrorist organization, citing IDF findings of dozens of tunnels large enough for vehicles to pass through.
