Israel assured Qatar IDF would fully pull out of Philadelphi in ceasefire’s 2nd phase
Pledge came hours before PM vowed military will stay on Gaza-Egypt border indefinitely; Barnea said to have told mediators of willingness to withdraw, subject to parameters set by Israel
Israeli negotiators told mediators in recent days that they still support a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Philadelphi Corridor in the second phase of a potential hostage deal, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that Jerusalem must maintain a military presence there indefinitely, according to Hebrew media reports Tuesday.
Confirming a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that hours before Netanyahu gave a press conference Monday, Mossad chief David Barnea flew urgently to Doha in order to inform Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani of Jerusalem’s position regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Egypt-Gaza Strip border.
A source familiar with negotiations told Haaretz that the final US proposal will call for reduced Israeli forces to remain on the corridor in the first six-week stage and then pull out in the second, apparently in accordance with a framework submitted by the US at the end of May.
In a live primetime address on Monday, Netanyahu argued that allowing troops to withdraw from the 14-kilometer (nine-mile) border stretch would result in arms, along with equipment for making weapons and digging tunnels, again being smuggled into the Strip and the possibility of hostages being smuggled out.
He said Israel would retain control of the Philadelphi Corridor for the foreseeable future, describing its presence there as crucial to preventing Hamas from rearming and again carrying out a massive attack on Israel like the devastating October 7 assault that opened the ongoing war in Gaza. Netanyahu said that remaining in control of the corridor was “vital” to Israel’s future. While he was vague about the long-term conditions of Israeli control, he indicated that it would include a presence on the ground.
However, in recent days, Israeli negotiators have told mediators that Israel is prepared to reduce its military presence in the corridor in the first stage of a three-phase deal under discussion and pull out completely in the second phase, the Kan public broadcaster reported, citing an official involved in the talks.
Haaretz reported that negotiation chief Barnea told mediators in Doha of Israel’s willingness to withdraw from the corridor, subject to operational requirements set by Israel. Previous reports have said those would include surveillance equipment under Israel’s control as well as a US-funded subterranean wall to prevent weapons smuggling.
Notably, Netanyahu’s office did not deny the reports, but instead issued a statement on Tuesday evening claiming the security cabinet has not yet discussed the second phase of the deal.
An unnamed Israeli official told Haaretz that “Netanyahu long ago agreed to the complete withdrawal of soldiers from the Philadelphi axis and the complete evacuation of the forces.”
The official said that Netanyahu’s recent actions have caused “just a lot of damage to the negotiations.”
The official charged that Netanyahu’s Monday night press conference was intended “to jam the deal for political reasons. If these demands had not suddenly emerged, there would have been a deal a long time ago.”
Netanyahu was asked during his Monday press conference to explain how his talk of indefinite IDF control of the Philadelphi Corridor squared with his authorization of a proposal in late May that included a full IDF withdrawal from the entirety of Gaza in the second phase of the deal.
Netanyahu responded that he was only speaking about the deal’s first phase.
“The proposal I agreed to talks about a first phase of 42 days, after which we can return to fighting if an agreement is not reached in the negotiations,” the premier said. The deal still requires the sides to hold talks during phase one to determine the exact terms of phase two, which is a permanent ceasefire. Phase one is also allowed to extend beyond six weeks if the sides are still negotiating in good faith, and Israel’s ability to resume the war does not appear to be as definitive as Netanyahu presented it.
“If a permanent settlement is reached for someone else to deal… with securing of the borders of Gaza, [that would be welcome]. I currently don’t see it on the horizon,” he continued, quipping that he hoped a credible alternative to the IDF’s presence on the Philadelphi will be found before the Messiah comes.
“We’re currently talking about phase one. Phase two is still before us,” Netanyahu said.
The premier left the door open for a phase two withdrawal from the Philadelphi, but the rest of his speech focused on why Israel has an existential need to remain there — one that wouldn’t likely dissipate in just six weeks when the phase is supposed to end. He made very clear that he didn’t think a viable alternative would be established to replace Israel in securing the border, and stressed that the IDF would need to be there indefinitely — a timeframe that doesn’t jive with the deal’s envisioning of a full Israeli withdrawal after just six weeks.
That six week phase one can be extended if the sides are negotiating in good faith, and the proposal commits the mediators to ensuring that Israel and Hamas remain at the negotiating table in order to finalize the terms of the phase two permanent ceasefire.
Netanyahu explained that he agreed to reduce the number of Israeli troops stationed along the Philadelphi Corridor during phase one of the deal because there is currently a division and a half deployed there, which is far more than what the IDF will need.
“We don’t need to be there with a massive force, just with a sufficiently sized one,” Netanyahu said, adding that the Israeli troops would be stationed at a number of points along the route and have the ability to patrol throughout its entirety from the Mediterranean Sea to the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
There is no replacement for the IDF’s physical presence along the corridor — neither sensors nor alternative forces — Netanyahu said.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Wednesday rejecting Netanyahu’s comments regarding the need for Israel to indefinitely maintain control over the Egypt-Gaza border stretch.
“Cairo rejects the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and deems him responsible for increasing tensions in the region,” the statement said.
The Egyptian statement additionally rebuffed Netanyahu’s claims that Cairo has allowed Hamas to smuggle weapons from the Sinai Peninsula to Gaza and accused the premier of attacking Egypt in order to distract the Israeli public from its mounting criticism of his handling of the war.
The US said Tuesday that Israel has agreed to the latest deal proposal, which requires the IDF to withdraw from heavily populated areas along the Philadelphi Corridor during the first, six-week phase of the deal.
The statements from Biden administration spokespeople left open the possibility for Israeli troops remaining in other parts of the corridor that are not adjacent to heavily populated areas of the Egypt-Gaza border stretch.
After US President Joe Biden said Sunday that he was close to presenting a final proposal to the sides by the end of the week, Kan reported that Washington plans to do so by Friday.
Several unnamed sources told Haaretz that the US proposal is going to be a “take it or leave it” with the administration not prepared to make any changes. If no deal is reached, negotiations are expected to end, the sources said.
The Walla news site reported that during Barnea’s Monday meeting with Al-Thani, the Qatari premier told the Mossad chief to urge Netanyahu to show more flexibility on several key issues, including the Philadelphi Corridor.
An Israeli official told Walla that the US proposal will include clauses that upset both Israel and Hamas and that both sides will be pushed to accept it.
