Israeli Security Minister Yoav Galant said on Wednesday that Israel is ready to partially withdraw its forces from the Philadelphia axis and reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, stressing the need to “prevent attempts to smuggle weapons and not allow Hamas to return to the Rafah crossing.” As part of a possible prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

This came during a meeting between Gallant and the US President’s special envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, according to what the Israeli Ministry of Security reported in a statement issued today in which it said, “Gallant met with McGurk and they discussed the necessity of exploiting the available opportunity to reach an agreement to return the hostages and possible ways to resolve the gaps.” remaining".

The statement added that Gallant discussed with the American envoy "the progress of the dialogue between Israel and Egypt, led by the United States, regarding (efforts to reach) a solution that prevents attempts to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip, in accordance with the plan presented by the Minister of Security at the beginning of the war and discussed between the two sides."

Gallant stressed to the American envoy that “the solution that prevents attempts to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip is necessary to cut off the oxygen pipeline to Hamas and withdraw Israeli army forces from parts of the axis (referring to the Philadelphia-Salah al-Din axis), within the framework of progressing talks to reach an agreement to release "Hostages."

Gallant said, "Israel is ready to open the Rafah crossing, but it will not allow Hamas to return to the site." Gallant also expressed his "appreciation for Envoy McGurk, and thanked the American administration for standing by Israel in pushing for the return of the hostages and achieving the goals of the war" that it has been waging in the Gaza Strip with American support since the seventh of last October.

"Sensors with an American tilt and an underground obstacle."

Israeli Army Radio said that Gallant indicated during his meeting with the American official that “Israel has agreed to withdraw from the Philadelphia axis within the framework of a prisoner exchange agreement with the Hamas movement, provided that it obtains guarantees that measures will be taken to ensure the prevention of weapons smuggling from Egypt to the Gaza Strip via the axis.” Philadelphia, without the actual presence of Israeli forces.”

According to Army Radio, the measures being discussed between the Israeli and Egyptian sides include “placement of advanced technological sensors along the Philadelphia axis, to detect attempts to dig tunnels along the axis, and thus action can be made against these attempts when they are detected.”

Israeli officials familiar with the details of the Egyptian-Israeli talks confirmed that the Egyptian side expressed their “initial approval for this step,” and the source confirmed that “this is an acceptable solution to Israel.” Israeli Army Radio reported that Washington has committed to funding the sensors, which require a budget estimated at about $200. Million dollars.

The report stated that “the process of placing sensors may take several months,” and stated that “Israel is planning to build an underground wall to combat smuggling tunnels from Egypt to the Gaza Strip, similar to the wall that prevented Hamas attack tunnels from penetrating Israeli territory, in a subsequent step to ensure Preventing smuggling operations from Egypt.

At the beginning of last May, the Israeli army announced the occupation of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, as part of a broad military operation accompanied by the loss of Palestinian civilian lives and the suspension of the entry of relief aid. It also later announced operational control over the entire Philadelphia axis and revealed the number of Of the tunnels in the area.

McGurk arrived in Israel after visiting the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Monday, where he participated with the head of the CIA, William Burns, in an American-Egyptian-Israeli meeting, attended by the head of the Israeli General Security Agency (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, and the head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Abbas. Kamel, to discuss “arrangements for reopening the Rafah crossing and security arrangements in the border area between Egypt and Gaza.”