Egypt rejects Israeli request to monitor buffer zone with Gaza, sources say

Egypt has rejected a proposal by Israel for greater Israeli oversight over the buffer zone on the Egypt-Gaza border and is prioritising efforts to broker a ceasefire before working on post-war arrangements, three Egyptian security sources said, according to Reuters.

Egypt shares a 13 kilometre border with Gaza which is the only border of the Palestinian coastal enclave not directly controlled by Israel. Along with Qatar, Egypt has also played a leading role in talks to broker a new ceasefire in Gaza and secure a deal for the release of Israeli prisoners of war held by the Palestinian resistance.

The Egyptian sources said that during those talks Israel had approached Egypt about securing the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow buffer zone along the border.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said joint monitoring of the Philadelphi Corridor with Egypt was among issues that have been discussed by the countries. Asked if Egypt had refused, the Israeli official said: “I’m not aware of that.”

Egypt’s state-linked Al Qahera News cited an anonymous source yesterday as saying that recent reports of planned cooperation between Egypt and Israel on the corridor were false.

The head of Egypt’s State Information Service did not respond to a request for comment.

The Egyptian sources said that Israeli officials did not discuss control of the corridor during the current ceasefire talks, but instead asked to participate in monitoring the area, including by sharing usage of new monitoring technology Israel would procure.

Egyptian negotiators rejected the idea, but Egypt has bolstered the physical barriers on its side of the border, the sources said.

Egypt is prioritising reaching a new ceasefire agreement as the necessary foundation for discussions about post-war Gaza, including securing the corridor, the sources added.

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