Israeli withdrawal from Philadelphi Corridor may pave the way for hostage deal - report

Sunday's hostage deal negotiation talks focused on the "concessions on Israel's side which the mediators believe may lead Hamas to agree to a deal," according to a Monday report by the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, citing sources familiar with the subject. 

Among what officials call "concessions" are "Israel's gradual [partial] withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor during the first phase of the agreement," alongside "a promise that no construction work will be carried out on the corridor or attempts to change the existing situation." 

At the same time, a "land corridor" will allow the IDF troops to move and reach the area quickly.

Israel rejected the mediators' proposals to resolve the disputes. The Israeli delegation stated it did not have sufficient authority to accept or reject the proposals and that it needed to discuss them with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli delegation to meet with Netanyahu

Despite this, the round of talks is expected to continue on Monday with in-depth discussions with the Israeli delegation after it meets with Netanyahu and returns with final answers.

The current efforts of the mediators are focused on "a return to the previous agreement that Hamas agreed to, with minor changes, including a gradual and not complete withdrawal from the Strip, in exchange for clear Israeli flexibility regarding the return of the displaced to the north of Gaza."

The US has offered a revised proposal that will be discussed in detail at Monday's meetings.

Although "many of the details are pending Israel's final answer," Cairo still refers to the "optimism" promoted by Washington about reaching an agreement soon as "an attempt at internal political exploitation in the US in preparation for the presidential elections."

As for the Rafah crossing, the discussions on the issue reached the same conclusions as the previous ones, which link its reopening to "restoring Palestinian control over it."