Egypt Refuses to Host a New Round of Truce Negotiations

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An Israeli channel revealed on Monday evening that Egypt refused to host a new round of ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and the prisoner exchange between Tel Aviv and Hamas due to its “anger” over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s actions and statements regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, as Israeli bombing intensifies in areas described as safe in the besieged Gaza Strip.

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Channel 13 reported: “Israel and the United States have tried over the past few days to push for a new negotiation summit, similar to the ones held in Cairo and Doha in recent months.” It added: “But the Egyptians are extremely angry about Netanyahu‘s comments concerning the Philadelphi Corridor and Egypt’s behavior during the press conference he held.”

On Wednesday, the Israeli prime minister stated during a press conference in Jerusalem that the Israeli army would not withdraw from the Rafah crossing or the Philadelphi Corridor, located on the border between Gaza and Egypt, arguing that the corridor is “the lifeline for Hamas, through which weapons are smuggled from Egypt.” He added that Israel insists on maintaining its forces in this corridor, even during the first phase of the proposed agreement, stating, “Remaining in Philadelphi prevents the smuggling of hostages.”

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Egypt and Hamas oppose the Israeli army‘s presence in this corridor as a condition for reaching a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, demanding a complete withdrawal from the area.

In its report on Monday evening, the Israeli channel continued, saying: “That is why the Egyptians refused to host the summit, while the Americans realized that it is currently impossible to hold such a summit in this climate, and it is no longer on the agenda.” It also pointed out that Mossad chief David Barnea informed Netanyahu of his attempt to coordinate the summit and contain Cairo’s anger.

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The channel quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying that “the Egyptians felt that the Israeli side treated them like a banana republic, and the messages they sent (to Israel) were terrible.”

In response, Netanyahu‘s office said, “The prime minister did not prevent any summit from being held. His consistent policy is to continue negotiations despite the difficulties.” The office added that “the prime minister values the peaceful relations with Egypt, while also believing that Israeli control over the Philadelphi Corridor is essential for Israel’s security, and that there is no contradiction between the two.”

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Earlier on Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said, “Whenever we get close to reaching an agreement, Israel hastens to invent excuses and justifications to hinder it.” During a press conference in Cairo with his Danish counterpart Lars Løkke Rasmussen, he added, “As we get closer to an agreement in Gaza, we face provocative policies that only aim for further escalation.” He also stated: “We have spent huge sums to build a security fence and destroy tunnels at the border with Gaza,” stressing that “the claim that weapons are entering Gaza from our side is pure fabrication.”

On the ground, Gaza’s Civil Defense announced that at least 40 people were killed and 60 injured early Tuesday morning in airstrikes targeting a humanitarian area in Khan Younis, in an attack the Israeli army said was aimed at a Hamas command center, a claim Hamas denied.

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Mohamed El-Mogheer, the Director of Logistics and Supply at the Civil Defense, stated: “40 martyrs and 60 injured were recovered and transported” to nearby hospitals, noting that efforts are ongoing “to recover 15 missing people as a result of the bombing of displaced people’s tents in Muwasi, Khan Younis.”

For its part, the Israeli army said in a statement that its fighter jets “attacked several prominent terrorists of the Hamas organization who were operating within a command and control complex camouflaged in a humanitarian area in Khan Younis.”

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Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said: “Entire families disappeared in the Muwasi Khan Younis massacre, buried under the sand in deep craters.”

He added that the area hit by the bombing “was filled with displaced persons’ tents, where more than 200 tents stood, with between 20 to 40 tents completely destroyed. There are three deep craters at the site of the event.”

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The Israeli army said in a statement that its fighter jets carried out this strike “under the direction of Shin Bet, military intelligence, and the Southern Command,” asserting that Hamas members “were planning and executing terrorist operations against Israeli Defense Forces and the citizens of the State of Israel.”

Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee added in a statement that “many steps were taken before the attack to minimize the risk to civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information.”

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He continued: “This is another example of the systematic use by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip of civilian populations and infrastructure, including humanitarian areas, to carry out terrorist operations against the State of Israel and the IDF.”

Hamas quickly denied these accusations, saying in a statement: “We affirm that the Israeli fascist occupation army’s claims of resistance elements being at the targeted location are blatant lies, aimed at justifying these heinous crimes.”

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The group added that it “has repeatedly denied the presence of any of its members among civilian gatherings or the use of these places for military purposes.”