Gaza ceasefire talks are ongoing with negotiators on Friday discussing a hi-tech surveillance system in Rafah, on the Gaza-Egypt border.
Reuters reports that discussions between Israeli and Egyptian negotiators are ongoing, on Friday, regarding the installation of a hi-tech electronic surveillance system on the Gaza-Egypt border.
Negotiators hope that it would allow Israeli troops to leave the border zone while guaranteeing that smuggling from Egypt to Gaza is stopped.
A source told Reuters that, the surveillance system on the border is significant for a ceasefire deal because the post-war presence of Israeli troops on the border is one of the main obstacles blocking an agreement.
The border technology would consist of sensors to detect tunnels and other methods of smuggling, in what Israel calls the “Philadelphi” corridor.
The Washington Post reported, Wednesday, that Egypt agreed to the US proposal for the border technology, with Reuters adding, Friday, that Egypt’s acceptance is conditional on the technology being funded by the United States
“We’re making progress”
President Joe Biden said on Thursday that US mediators were making progress in reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal as he called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden, in a high-stakes, nearly hour-long news conference, acknowledged concerns about Israeli actions despite his overall support for the US ally.
“There are still gaps to close. We’re making progress,” Biden said.
In May, Biden laid out his plan three-step plan for a ceasefire in Gaza.
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Hamas came back with counterproposals, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pushback from some of his hard-right government allies.
But diplomats have spoken of progress in the latest round of talks that closed on Thursday in Qatar, the key mediator.
Mossad Chief Backs Netanyahu
David Barnea, the head of Mossad, has reportedly backed Netanyahu’s demand that Israel be able to resume fighting after the first stage of the deal, according to Haaretz.
Barnea told ministers that maintaining the right to resume fighting would give Israel significant leverage in ensuring Hamas acts in good faith during hostage exchanges.
He also reportedly told ministers that the Israeli military’s intensive operations in Gaza were aiding negotiations.
Pushing Israel ‘Really Hard’
Biden has acknowledged pushback from the increasingly conservative Israeli cabinet
“This war cabinet is one of the most conservative war cabinets in the history of Israel, and there’s no ultimate answer other than a two-state solution here,” he said.
He again pressed Israel for a “day-after” plan for the war’s end and spoke of his diplomacy to persuade Arab states to help with security.
“At the end of the day, there has to be no occupation by Israel in the Gaza Strip,” Biden said.
With AFP
