Israeli troops could be replaced by e-surveillance system on Egypt-Gaza border

The Israeli army could pull out of the border area between Egypt and the Gaza Strip and replace troops with an electronic surveillance system if a ceasefire deal is reached, reports said Friday.

The plan is being discussed between Israeli and Egyptian ceasefire mediators, according to The Times of Israel which cited two Egyptian sources and another unnamed source familiar with the matter.

Israel overran the Philadelphi Corridor – the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt – in May, taking control of the Rafah border crossing. Cairo has refused to cooperate with Israel on the crossing, demanding that it hand control back to Palestinian authorities.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that his military remain in control of the area even after a ceasefire, alarming Egypt.

Israeli military presence at the Gaza-Egypt border remains a key hurdle in the ceasefire talks which is currently being mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt.

Netanyahu said Thursday that any deal with the Palestinian group Hamas must prevent weapons from being smuggled into Gaza from Egypt, "primarily by means of Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing".

Agreeing to the electronic surveillance system could help facilitate a ceasefire agreement though other disagreements remain, the TOI report said.

Sources told the Israeli daily that the discussions are "basically sensors that would be built on the Egyptian side of the Philadelphi [Corridor]".

This system could detect tunnels and other ways Hamas might try to smuggle weapons or people into the Palestinian enclave if Israeli troops withdraw.

Israeli negotiators have spoken about a high-tech surveillance system, the two Egyptian sources said.

Egypt, which strongly opposes the Israeli military presence in the area, does not object to a monitoring system being in place but would oppose any change to border arrangements stipulated by the countries' 1979 peace treaty.

Israel’s most devastating war on Gaza to date has killed more than 38,000 people since 7 October last year, mostly women and children. Thousands more are believed to be buried beneath the rubble, and much of the territory lays in ruins.