Israel walks back demands regarding Gaza withdrawal, creating opening for deal within days — sources

Israel has agreed to significantly decrease its force presence in Gaza during the 60-day truce currently under discussion, according to an Arab diplomat and a source involved in mediation efforts, who tell The Times of Israel that the softened stance opens the door for an agreement in the coming days.

Following pressure from US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff, Israel has agreed to come down from more maximalist demands regarding the extent of its partial withdrawal from Gaza during the truce, the two sources say.

Thanks to pressure from Witkoff, new maps submitted by Israel no longer envision the IDF remaining in the so-called Morag Corridor that divides the southern Gaza cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, the two sources add.

Israel also agreed to reduce the scope of its presence in Rafah, where it had hoped to create a controversial “humanitarian city” to which Gaza’s population would be herded, vetted upon entry and prevented from leaving, as Jerusalem encourages their emigration outside of the Strip.

The updated Israeli proposal for withdrawal from Gaza would likely hamper the ability to implement the Israeli “humanitarian city” plan, the Arab diplomat says.

Mediators are currently meeting with Hamas negotiators in Doha to review the latest Israeli maps, according to the source involved in the talks, adding that they are largely in line with Hamas’s demand for the IDF to withdraw to the positions it held before the previous ceasefire began collapsing on March 2.

Meanwhile, Hamas has indicated that it is prepared to compromise on its demand for an up-front Israeli commitment for a permanent ceasefire in exchange for a personal assurance from US President Donald Trump that the truce will remain in place until the sides reach an agreement on a permanent ceasefire.

With the Hamas compromise on its demand for a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s compromise on the scope of its withdrawal, mediators believe that the more difficult obstacles in the ongoing Doha talks have been overcome.

However, the Arab diplomat says that the sides still have to reach agreements regarding mechanisms for the distribution of humanitarian aid and on the number and identities of Palestinian prisoners to be released during the two-month truce in exchange for 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 slain hostages.