US official lays out new details on Gaza ceasefire talks, says Netanyahu comments on Philadelphi Corridor not constructive

A prospective hostage and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is 90% completed, but disputes remain over the exchange of prisoners for hostages and the redeployment of Israeli forces in Gaza, according to a senior US administration official.

A prospective hostage and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is 90% completed, but disputes remain over the exchange of prisoners for hostages and the redeployment of Israeli forces in Gaza, according to a senior US administration official. US officials, with Qatar and Egypt, have for months worked to broker a deal to bring an end to the nearly year-long conflict. Those negotiations have taken on new urgency following the killings of six hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The official offered one of the most detailed looks yet at key elements of the negotiations, which spokespeople for the US government said they would not negotiate in public. The official offered the previously unreported details after repeated public statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casting doubt on his potential willingness to accept a deal, despite claims by the US that he had agreed to a “bridging proposal.” The agreement itself makes no mention of the length of the Egypt-Gaza border known as the Philadelphi Corridor, the official told reporters on a call on Wednesday. Netanyahu has held two news conferences this week to argue that maintaining permanent control of the corridor is vital to Israeli security. “The first war goal was to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities. The second was to free our hostages, and the third was to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel. And all three of those goals – all three of them – go through Israel’s control of the Philadelphi corridor,” Netanyahu said Wednesday at a news conference for foreign press. That emphasis on Philadelphi in Netanyahu’s recent public statements hasn’t been constructive, the official said.