The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Friday that the talks held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Thursday evening "did not make any progress", with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting on remaining in the Philadelphi corridor and Egypt rejecting this matter.

The Authority explained that "the meetings held last night (Thursday) between the Egyptian and Israeli delegations did not result in any progress," without mentioning further details.

According to the agency, the head of the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) David Barnea, and the head of the General Security Service (Shabak) Ronen Bar, left for Cairo yesterday evening to hold talks with unnamed Egyptian officials.

She said the talks focused on the Philadelphi Corridor on the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip.

The chances of success of the negotiations are diminishing with Netanyahu's insistence on continuing the war on the Strip, and his insistence on military control over the Philadelphi axes on the border with Egypt and the Netzarim axes separating the north and south of the Strip.

On Thursday, a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed Netanyahu's adherence to his position on the Israeli army remaining in the Philadelphi corridor and his rejection of the idea of deploying international forces there.

"The prime minister has not changed his position on the need for Israeli control and presence in the Philadelphi corridor," he said in the statement.

In another statement, Netanyahu's office said, "The report that talks about studying the idea of deploying a multinational force along the Philadelphi Corridor is incorrect," without citing the source of the report.

The office added that Netanyahu insists on the principle of Israel's control over the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) from rearming itself.

Channel 12 Israel revealed that Netanyahu told officials that the negotiating delegation is looking to make concessions while he is adhering to Israel's interests, adding that he will not submit to demands that endanger Israel's security.

In contrast, Hamas insists on ending the war, the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, and the freedom of the displaced to return to their areas, as part of any prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement.

The Wall Street Journal also quoted Egyptian officials as saying that Cairo rejected the request for Israeli forces to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor because it constitutes a violation of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Resume negotiations

An Israeli security delegation arrived in Cairo yesterday, Thursday, to participate in the ceasefire talks in Gaza, with the expectation that the negotiations will resume next Saturday or Sunday, while the CBS network quoted an American official as saying that the talks will resume today in Cairo.

Axios quoted American officials as saying that the Israeli delegation to the Cairo talks has an updated map that reflects the final Israeli position on the Philadelphi Corridor.

According to the website, the map includes reducing the number of occupation army forces, while maintaining the deployment of those forces along the entire axis.

Internal criticism of Netanyahu

For his part, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Netanyahu does not want to recover the hostages and that the hostage negotiations may collapse at some point.

He added, in an article in Haaretz, that in the absence of an agreement in Gaza, the "violent conflict" in the north will continue and may deteriorate into a comprehensive war, and that Netanyahu is leading Israel towards the abyss with his "terrorist partners" Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, according to his expression.

Olmert stressed that Israel is rapidly approaching a comprehensive war, and that this is what the trio of Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich want.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Prisoners' Families Authority said Netanyahu should listen to the position of the security services' leaders and agree to the deal.

She added that the return of all prisoners from the Gaza Strip can only be done through a deal. She pointed out that the Israeli army's evacuation of the bodies of 6 prisoners from Gaza is not a victory but rather a complete failure of the political leadership.

With American support, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 133,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and deadly famine.

In contempt of the international community, Israel continues the war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate halt, and the International Court of Justice’s orders to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Source: Anadolu Agency