An Egyptian intelligence delegation visited Tel Aviv late last week to discuss ways of complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, according to what Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper published on Sunday.

Palestinian factions’ discussions

On the other hand, Yedioth Ahronoth said that Cairo summoned the Gaza factions for an additional round of talks in Cairo after January 7. The Egyptians are working through more than one channel to reach a unified Palestinian position regarding a unified government responsible for Gaza.

So far, discussions between the factions about concluding a new deal regarding the Israeli hostages held in Gaza have not resulted in an agreement, as Hamas needs a commitment from the countries participating in the mediation not to resume fighting under any circumstances, according to the newspaper’s report. It explained that the head of the intelligence service the Israeli Mossad's David Barnea informed the military cabinet that Qatar said that Hamas is ready to negotiate the release of between 40 to 50 hostages, including women, the elderly, and sick prisoners, in exchange for a ceasefire for 20 to 30 days, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. While the rest of the hostages would be released under a comprehensive agreement that guarantees a complete ceasefire.

Once again, the newspaper pointed out that while the offer is being studied in Israel, Netanyahu is obstructing any deal that would lead to a ceasefire. A short humanitarian truce between Hamas and Israel, which took effect from November 24 until the morning of December 1, witnessed a deal to release 105 hostages from Gaza including 80 Israelis, in exchange for Israel releasing 240 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel believes that about 137 hostages remained with Hamas after this deal, while Netanyahu faces intense pressure from their families and inside Israel to release them, even through negotiation.

Philadelphia Axis

Palestinian political analyst, Nadhar Jabr, comments, “There is no doubt that Egypt plays a major role in mediation, and its initiative is the most logical, but I expect that the visit of the intelligence delegation to Israel carries a much greater message than mediation efforts.”

Jabr explained that this message “I believe it has something to do with the Philadelphia border axis with Egypt, and Netanyahu’s statements that Israel must control it.” However, according to the agreements signed regarding this axis, this buffer zone is supposed to be unarmed, and I believe that Egypt will insist on that.” .

As for the truce talk, he says, “There will also be talk about a ceasefire truce, as Egypt is a reliable mediator for both sides, and the details of the truce will not inevitably deviate from the initiatives put forward by Egypt.”

Netanyahu said in a press conference on Saturday that Israel must take complete control of the Philadelphia axis to ensure demilitarization in the region, in reference to an attempt to close the door to weapons reaching Gaza factions from abroad.

Netanyahu is concerned about stopping the war

In the opinion of the researcher specializing in Israeli affairs, Abdel Ati Ismail, Netanyahu’s talk about the Philadelphia axis “may be a provocation against Egypt, as it is the country that most pressures Israel to end the war.”

At the same time, the Israeli Prime Minister, Ismail continues, does not seem to accept stopping the war now. “Israel wants to achieve a military victory over Hamas, because so far it is considered defeated, as it has not implemented any goal of its war on the Gaza Strip, and internal public opinion is angry.” 

Ismail inferred this, in his interview with Sky News Arabia, by saying, “If Netanyahu now leaves Gaza, his fate will be imprisonment, and this is not an expectation, but he will be subjected to a special trial for security negligence on October 7 and the failure of his war on Hamas.”

What is the focus of Philadelphia?

The name Philadelphia Axis or Salah al-Din Axis is given to a strip extending on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

It is located within buffer zone D, according to the peace agreement signed by Egypt and Israel in 1979.

The axis extends from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south, with a length of about 14 kilometers.

The peace agreement between Egypt and Israel imposes numerical and qualitative restrictions on the deployment of forces on both sides of the border, including the Egyptian side of the axis.

Israel controlled the Philadelphia axis within its control over Area D, to which it belongs, until it withdrew from Gaza and handed it over to the Palestinian Authority in 2005.

In the same year, a new agreement was signed to regulate the presence of forces in the Axis region, and allowed for Egyptian-Israeli security coordination.

Egypt deploys a limited number of forces on its side of the axis, to prevent infiltration and smuggling operations.