US bridging proposal for hostage-ceasefire deal meets Israel’s security demands, official tells Times of Israel; says Israel will control Philadelphia Route
While the likelihood of success of negotiations around the hostage deal remains in doubt, an Israeli official told the Times of Israel that “the prime minister stands behind the principle that Israel will rule the Philadelphia Route.”
The deployment of IDF troops along the Egypt-Gaza border corridor in the event of a deal with Hamas is one of the main issues in the talks.
The official says “there is a reason why we agreed” to the US bridging proposal presented in Doha last week and that it meets Israel’s security demands.
The official stressed that regardless of whether there is a deal or not, Israel will keep fighting to achieve its war goals: “We are fighting Hamas as if there is no negotiation, and we are negotiating as if there is no war.”
“The prime minister’s stance is that we should put military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas to reach an agreement,” the official added. “Military pressure continues along with diplomatic pressure from mediating countries.”
The official stressed that the agreement does not mean the war is over.
“We will not stop fighting until Hamas accepts a settlement,” the official declared.
“Even if they succeed, the war will continue,” the official declared. “Of course, there will be a brief break in fighting during the first phase if an agreement is reached. However, we won’t stop fighting until we’ve accomplished every war objective.