Israeli official refutes withdrawal of IDF from Philadelphi - report
'Israel's presence in the Philadelphia corridor prevents Hamas from strengthening and rearming,' an Israeli source told local media
"The information in Arab media is inaccurate," an official told Israel's Kan news after reports that Israel will leave the Philadelphi Corridor.
"Israel has not agreed and will not agree to withdraw from 'the majority of the Philadelphia Corridor,' where its presence prevents Hamas from strengthening and rearming," a source involved in the negotiations said.
The development underscores the lack of reliability surrounding the Israel-Hamas negotiations taking place. A myriad of reports from leaks has plagued the rounds of talks since the last ceasefire and hostage release deal last year.
According to recent reports, Israel officially agreed to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor and to significantly reduce its forces.
On Monday, Kan reported that an Israeli official stressed that the ball is in Hamas' court. As long as they do not provide a list of hostages, he said, it will not be possible to move forward in the discussions.
According to foreign media, two points remain in dispute: Israel's demand to receive a list of all hostages, living and dead, and the Palestinian claim that it is impossible to verify this until there is at least a week of calm to be able to reach the hostages and determine their condition.
Another point is Israel's demand to include the names of captive soldiers in the list of hostages subject to humanitarian criteria, and that an injured soldier be included in the list of sick soldiers covered by the first phase of the agreement. However, sources from the Palestinian factions believe that as soon as Israel "shows seriousness" in reaching an agreement, it will be possible to resolve these two points, which should not at least derail the first phase of the agreement.