Israeli media: Officials confirmed to Qatar the date of the army's withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor
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Israeli media: Officials confirmed to Qatar the date of the army's withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor
Netanyahu (center) renewed his commitment last Monday to occupying the Philadelphi corridor (Anatolia)
4/9/2024
The Times of Israel newspaper said that Israeli officials confirmed to mediators in Qatar that the army's complete withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor would be in the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper explained that the Israeli confirmation to Qatar came during the visit of Mossad chief David Barnea to the capital, Doha, and before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's press conference the day before yesterday, Monday.
Today, Haaretz quoted an American official as saying that the Mossad chief confirmed to mediators Israel's readiness to withdraw from Philadelphia before Netanyahu announced his rejection of it.
The American official added, "We want the exchange agreement more than Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and we are pushing to achieve it in every possible way," stressing, "If we surrender, no one will deal with this issue anymore and we have no other choice."
He added, "They tell us: Leave the Philadelphi corridor for 42 days, and I say if we do that we will not return to it even after 42 years," considering that the entry of the Israeli army into the Philadelphi corridor forced Hamas to change its position in the negotiations.
Netanyahu said that Israel was close to freeing the six detainees but unfortunately did not succeed, "Hamas killed them by shooting them in the back of the head and will pay a heavy price for that," according to him, stressing that he is working around the clock to return the prisoners.
Hebrew and American media reported that the head of the Mossad headed an Israeli delegation in the past rounds of negotiations in meetings with mediators in Qatar and Egypt in an attempt to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that includes the release of prisoners, in light of Washington's talk about exerting pressure for the agreement.
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Crisis of confidence
The intensity of the attacks and criticism of Netanyahu is escalating in Israel, accusing him of obstructing the prisoner exchange deal that will return the detainees alive from the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli Army Radio quoted MK Avichai Bofaron as saying today that there is a crisis of confidence between Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant "that harms all of our security."
Netanyahu has been subjected to criticism and accusations over the killing of more Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, while violent clashes erupted between police and protesters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening.