Egyptian position on Rafah crossing and Philadelphi corridor, Washington calls on negotiators to be discreet and reduce statements

An Egyptian channel quoted a senior source as saying that Egypt will not accept any Israeli presence at the Rafah crossing or the Philadelphi (Salah al-Din) axis, while an American official revealed some developments in the talks regarding a ceasefire in Gaza after the Cairo round yesterday, Sunday.

Reuters reported on Monday evening that the state-run Cairo News Channel quoted a senior source as saying that Egypt "renewed its confirmation to all concerned parties that it would not accept any Israeli presence at the Rafah crossing or the Philadelphi corridor," which the Israeli army occupied last May as part of its war on the Gaza Strip.

The source added that "Egypt is managing the mediation between the two parties to the conflict in Gaza in a manner consistent with its national security and preserving the rights of the Palestinian people."

He pointed out that the Egyptian security delegation "is doing its utmost to achieve a degree of consensus between the two parties, and is coordinating its efforts with partners in Qatar and the United States."

This comes after the Hamas delegation and the Israeli negotiating team left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, yesterday, Sunday, after a series of meetings with mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States regarding the proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange.

Technical talks in Cairo

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that negotiations between the technical groups regarding the proposal are continuing tonight in Cairo, and are expected to continue tomorrow, Tuesday.

The newspaper reported that the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, who participated in the Cairo talks, asked the negotiators to "keep a low profile and reduce statements" regarding the ceasefire talks.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted officials as saying that there is a slight possibility that the Cairo talks will lead to progress in the negotiations.

The proposal stipulates a 6-week truce accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from populated areas in Gaza and the release of Israeli prisoners held by the resistance, then a second phase ending with a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies + Israeli Press