Cairo, Egypt – Egypt has said it will not accept the continued presence of Israeli forces along its border with the Gaza Strip, state-linked media reported on Monday.
Cairo, a key mediator in efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, “reiterated to all parties that it will not accept any Israeli presence” along the strategic Philadelphi Corridor, state-linked Al-Qahera News said, citing a high-level source.
A key sticking point in the ceasefire talks have been calls for Israel to withdraw its forces from the border area, including the Rafah crossing, the only one from the Palestinian territory that was not directly controlled by Israel.
Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in early May, a move that has cut off a crucial aid route and drawn repeated condemnation from Egypt and other countries.
“Egypt is managing the mediation” between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas “in accordance with its national security”, the source told Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egypt’s state intelligence service.
The negotiations, also mediated by Qatar and the United States, have yielded little hope for a ceasefire, though Washington said Friday that some progress had been made.
Hamas said Sunday the group’s delegation had met with Egyptian and Qatari mediators before leaving Cairo, where Israeli negotiators were also expected.