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News Link • Israel - Palestine
Israeli strikers and protesters demand Gaza deal after 6 hostages killed
• By Kathleen Magramo and Rob PichetaFollowing the news of the killing of the six hostages in Gaza, officials involved in the mediation of the ceasefire talks have been on the phone with each other discussing ways to push the ceasefire and hostage deal forward, a source familiar with the discussions tells CNN.
But then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his press conference Monday evening, arguing that Israel will never leave the Philadelphi corridor, "and this guy torpedoed everything in one speech," the source said in an initial reaction afterwards.
Mossad director David Barnea also traveled to Doha and met with Qatar's prime minister on Monday.
Lead Hamas negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Jazeera on Sunday there would be no deal without the IDF withdrawing from the corridor, which runs along the Egypt-Gaza border. Between the hostages and the Israeli military presence in the Philadelphi corridor, the "Philadelphi [corridor] was more important," Hayya alleged.
Netanyahu's recent insistence on staying in Philadelphi represents a change in position, sources familiar with the negotiations say. When US President Joe Biden announced the framework on May 31 – which he said Israel had agreed to – it envisioned an IDF withdrawal eastwards from populated areas. According to a draft published in Israeli media, there was no mention of Philadelphi.