Following the visit of Mossad head Dedi Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar to Egypt, the London-based Arabic language Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported that an agreement had been reached on the control mechanism at the Rafah Crossing, which the IDF took over in May. According to a source in the joint cease-fire monitoring team, the talks also dealt with security arrangements on the Philadelphi Corridor, and not just the issue of the Rafah Crossing on the Gaza side.
"The parties reached an agreement regarding the management of the crossing on the Palestinian side. It was agreed that it would be managed by the Palestinian Authority, under international supervision and monitoring by the UN," claimed the same source, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, noting that it had not yet been decided when the crossing would be returned to operation. In addition, according to the source, no agreement was reached regarding the Philadelphi Corridor.
The Rafah Crossing served as a central hub for transferring aid to the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the war and has been closed since it was taken over by the IDF.
The appendix to the cease-fire agreement, signed last week in Qatar, stated that Israel would now be required to work to reopen it, and that its forces would “redeploy around” the crossing based on maps to be agreed upon between the parties, without specifying whether there would be an actual withdrawal from there. The maps themselves, which depict the IDF’s gradual withdrawal and redeployment of its forces during the cease-fire, have not yet been revealed.
Netanyahu has previously opposed the possibility of Palestinian Authority representatives activating the crossing, and the appendix did not specify exactly how it would be activated. "The crossing will be activated based on the discussions from August 2024 with Egypt," the appendix stated, without elaborating.
According to the Saudi report, the meetings that began in Cairo on Monday lasted until the early hours of Tuesday morning - and were attended by Barnea and Bar, as well as Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, and a number of senior officials responsible for the Palestinian issue in Egyptian intelligence. "The remaining disputes are technical and logistical and they will be resolved," the source said.
Regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, the report claims, Israel has proposed implementing partial withdrawals from the axis, but Egypt insists on a full withdrawal. "Cairo wants to return to the situation that existed before the war," the source noted. "We also discussed in the meeting the possibility of changing the crossing agreement later. What has been determined now is temporary and concerns this stage only."
Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said that "the responsibility to maintain the cease-fire in Gaza is the responsibility of all of us in the region."
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Israel did not commit to a full withdrawal from the corridor in the first phase of the deal and cease-fire, but only to a "reduction" of its presence. According to the appendix to the deal, the details of which were obtained last week, the withdrawal from there is supposed to begin only on the last day of the first phase, day 42, when the last hostages of 33 hostages will be released as part of that phase.
However, since that agreement was signed, Israeli officials have insisted that there will be no actual withdrawal - and their statements cast doubt on the fact that the agreement stipulates that even if an agreement on Phase Two is not reached by the end of the first phase, the temporary cease-fire will continue as long as the negotiations continue - with the mediators, including the U.S., committed to guarantee this.
Last week, Palestinian Authority officials claimed in a conversation with Ynet that President-elect Donald Trump asked Ramallah to control the Gaza Strip's crossings, and "especially" the Rafah crossing, in coordination with Israel and Egypt.
annex