The White House has announced Israel’s readiness to make significant concessions as part of a new deal to free the hostages. According to US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, Jerusalem has approved a partial withdrawal of IDF forces from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip, including areas along the Philadelphia Corridor, a strategically important area on the border with Egypt previously used by the Hamas terrorist group for arms smuggling.
The statement comes amid recent assurances from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Israeli military’s presence in the area is critical to the country’s security. Control of the corridor will determine Israel’s future, he said, as the lack of military control there in the past allowed Hamas to arm the enclave.
“The agreement we are working on involves the withdrawal of Israeli troops from densely populated areas, including the area along the Philadelphia Axis,” Kirby said, adding that at this stage Israel had agreed to such measures. However, a White House spokesman avoided answering questions about the continued presence of Israeli troops in less populated areas along the border with Egypt.
The Israeli media corporation Kan confirmed Kirby’s information, citing a senior official, who said that the withdrawal of troops from the Philadelphia corridor is part of the second stage of the agreement to free the hostages. The newspaper Haaretz provided similar information, specifying that several hours before Netanyahu’s statement, Mossad chief David Barnea presented the corresponding Israeli proposal to the mediators.
Despite this, the Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the details of the second phase of the deal, saying the government was not authorized to reveal details at this stage. Netanyahu’s sudden announcement emphasizing the importance of military control of the Philadelphia Corridor could harm the negotiations, the sources said.
Netanyahu has previously said that controlling this corridor is a strategic priority for Israel, as its absence in the past has made the Gaza Strip a “huge threat to the state.” According to the Prime Minister, achieving most of the war’s objectives depends on an Israeli presence in the area.
Earlier, Kursor wrote that the White House welcomed Britain’s decision to suspend arms supplies to Israel.
