The United States and Israel held a “secret meeting” with officials in the Palestinian Authority, last week, to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the besieged Gaza Strip, within the framework of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas, according to what the Walla website revealed. ", Wednesday evening, citing high-ranking Israeli and American officials.

The report described the tripartite meeting as the first meeting held with the participation of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to discuss an issue related to the “day after” the war on Gaza. He considered that reopening the Rafah crossing and managing the Palestinian side of the border crossing with Egypt, "a very sensitive internal political issue in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority."

Cairo categorically rejects any stay of Israeli forces in the Philadelphia axis, and the Hamas movement insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia axis, as a basic condition for reaching a deal that includes exchanging prisoners and stopping the war, while Israel is considering reopening the Rafah crossing in cooperation with parties. International, Arab and Palestinian, not linked to Hamas.

The report stated that "reopening the strategic Rafah crossing will be necessary to implement the first phase of the proposed prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Hamas movement. The terms of the agreement stipulate allowing the transfer of wounded from the Gaza Strip to Egypt to receive treatment in a procedure that will be impossible to implement except through the Rafah crossing."

Walla quoted high-level American officials as saying that “reopening the Rafah crossing may constitute the first step in a broader post-war strategy to achieve stability and rebuild the Gaza Strip.” The report stated that Cairo and Tel Aviv failed to reach understandings regarding the mechanism for reopening the Rafah crossing, which... It has been controlled by Israel since its occupation in early May.