Israeli demands for troops in Gaza blocking truce deal

Disagreements over the Israeli regime’s future military presence in Gaza and over Palestinian prisoner releases are obstructing a ceasefire and prisoner deal, according to ten sources familiar with the round of US-mediated talks that concluded last week.

The sources, who include two Hamas officials and three Western diplomats, told Reuters the disagreements stemmed from demands Israel has introduced since Hamas accepted a version of a ceasefire proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden in May.

All the sources said Hamas was especially concerned about the latest demand to keep troops deployed along the Netzarim Corridor, an east-west strip Israel cleared during the current war that prevents Palestinians’ free movement between north and south Gaza, as well as in a narrow border strip between Gaza and Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

Israel’s current grip on the Philadelphi Corridor gives it control of Gaza’s frontier with Egypt, the enclave’s only crossing that does not border occupied Palestine.

Washington put forward the latest proposal last week after the talks in Doha.

Ahead of those talks, Hamas called on the mediators to implement the framework set out by US President Joe Biden in late May, rather than hold more negotiations.

Hamas movement said on Sunday that the current US proposal “responds to Netanyahu’s conditions”.

At the weekend, Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said US optimism about the prospects for the deal was an “illusion”.