Amid repeated claims of significant changes proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the framework for the hostage release deal and the ceasefire, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hamas, reported Monday that the revised proposal Israel submitted includes four new main conditions:
- No return of terrorists from the southern Gaza Strip to the north and checking Gazans seeking to return North.
- The continued presence of the IDF on the Philadelphia Corridor.
- Guarantees allowing Israel to resume the war after the first stage of the deal if the parties fail to move to the second stage.
- Pre-approval of the list of living hostages slated for release.
Mossad Chief David Barnea traveled to Rome over the weekend to continue negotiations involving CIA Director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel. Barnea returned to Israel on Sunday night.
Hamas unlikely to accept the proposal
According to the Al-Akhbar publication, the Egyptians and Qataris assessed that it is highly unlikely that Hamas will accept the proposal. The report suggests that although Hamas was supposed to receive the new proposal from the mediators, movement officials confirmed that this "has not yet happened," and all discussions are about the "atmosphere and signals."
Additionally, it was reported that although the meetings in Rome did not reach final conclusions, a key point relating to the Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor in the first stage of the deal was discussed in detail.
Al-Akhbar claimed that according to informed sources, "the Israeli envoy discussed the possibility of withdrawal from Philadelphi, contingent upon the rapid and efficient installation of sensors, surveillance, and monitoring along the Gaza-Egypt border strip."
An Egyptian official speaking with Al-Akhbar said, "Cairo requested to begin a gradual withdrawal, based on Israel not discovering any tunnels crossing the border between Gaza and Sinai since Israel took control of the corridor last May."
The report also mentioned that the Israeli envoy presented the idea of establishing an international mechanism to prevent the return of armed individuals to northern Gaza. According to the official, Israel also requested a "repositioning" of its forces in Gaza, not just along the border of the Strip, which would allow rapid response to any sudden incident within Gaza.
The same Egyptian source stated that "some of the routes that the Israeli side seeks to continue its presence on in Gaza pass through neighborhoods recently evacuated in Khan Yunis," noting that "Israeli military movements within the Strip currently pave the way for the army. [Israeli] withdrawal from several areas [would come] in exchange for a repositioning that enables forces to reach any area quickly during the so-called calm period."
Last night, Sharon Sharabi, the brother of Yossi Sharabi, who was murdered in Hamas captivity, and Eli Sharabi, who is still held hostage in Gaza, referred in an interview on Channel 12 to the relative progress in the emerging hostage deal and claimed that the deal is almost closed.
"I am just back from Qatar after a meeting with the head of the Qatari negotiations, Mohammed Al-Hulailfi," he said, adding, "The details are closed - Israel needs to sign the deal, Hamas needs to sign the deal and implement it. If we miss this opportunity, the talks could freeze, which is very troubling for the families of the hostages and endangers the hostages' lives."