Israel proposes UN, EU presence at Gaza-Egypt border: report

A senior Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo on Thursday evening to resume stalled negotiations on the status of a border strip between Egypt and Gaza, which is seen as key to settling a truce for the besieged enclave.

The talks in Cairo have focused on the control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israeli forces began occupying the Philadelphi Corridor, known in Arabic as Salah Al-Din, after launching a May ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip.

Months-long efforts by mediators including Egypt and the US have so far failed to produce a ceasefire and captive-release deal in Gaza.

The Israeli delegation includes David Barnea and Ronen Bar, the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies, while Brett McGurk, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, is also participating in the meeting.

The Israelis came with a new proposal, which includes the development of an idea previously presented by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Cairo this week, The New Arab's sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

The new proposal would see a UN monitoring mission permanently deployed at several fixed points along the Philadelphi Corridor, with the number of locations to be agreed.

It also includes the presence of another mission from the European Union as a second party on the Palestinian side at the Rafah crossing, alongside representatives of the Palestinian Authority, to manage and reopen the border.

The updated proposal does not include an immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from the crossing and immediate entry of the EU mission, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said.

The newspaper said it specifies a gradual pullout, with the timeline still to be agreed, although Egypt has so far refused the deployment of international forces to the Philadelphi crossing and has not responded to the proposal.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has denied reports that Israel was considering placing an international force in the Philadelphi Corridor, adding that he was "committed to the principle of Israeli control" over the area.

It was the second statement in under 24 hours in which Netanyahu has denied agreement on a US proposal for withdrawing from the corridor as part of a Gaza deal with Hamas.

The Israeli premier also insists on retaining Israeli forces in the Netzarim corridor, a strip that splits the Gaza Strip in two.

Hamas has strongly insisted on a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, rejecting any presence in the Netzarim corridor in the future or any oversight role for the Israeli army over the movement of Palestinians between the north and south of the strip.

Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli official said it "seems at the moment that a summit will be held on Saturday or Sunday", Israeli news website Ynet reported.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently sought to resolve the stalled negotiations on the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors while visiting Cairo.

He raised the possibility of pressuring Israel to accept a withdrawal from the two areas in exchange for the entry of international peacekeepers, possibly with the participation of Egypt – something denied by Netanyahu's office on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal said the Israeli army wants its forces to be able to act along the whole length of the Philadelphi Corridor using "tactical raids" when it feels this is required.

The American newspaper cited Egyptian officials as saying Israel had recently suggested placing eight watchtowers in the corridor, with the US putting forward a lower figure of two, although Cairo rebuffed both ideas, according to the officials.

Israelis, Egyptians, and American officials were meeting on Thursday to secure Gaza's border with Egypt and resume the use of the crossing at Rafah, US and Israeli officials told Axios.

Israel turned up at the Cairo discussions with a map depicting Israel's stance on the presence of its forces in the corridor, according to informed sources cited by Axios.

They said the map indicates fewer Israeli troops in the corridor, though they would still be present across its full length, an outcome Cairo has already rejected.

Israel's war on Gaza, which began more than 10 months ago, has killed at least 40,265 people, according to the Palestinian enclave's health ministry.

Hospitals, ambulances, and residential buildings have been attacked, and South Africa has accused Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' top tribunal.