Biden, Netanyahu discuss critical Gaza ceasefire

PM Netanyahu has agreed to pull IDF troops back from a 1-2 kilometer section of the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border in order to advance a hostage deal.

In response, Biden has reportedly backed Netanyahu’s demand that IDF troops continue to hold the rest of the…

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) August 23, 2024

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday about the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions. Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the call, which came at a critical moment in the Gaza negotiations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated earlier this week in Israel that it may be the last opportunity for a deal. With his presidential experience and foreign policy work, Donald Trump says that he told Netanyahu to end Gaza and may have more swing than the White House. A central sticking point in the ongoing negotiations is the future of the Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza.

A high-level Israeli negotiating team has returned from talks in Cairo.

Egypt will reportedly pass along the amended sections regarding the crossing, along with arrangements for the Philadephi Corridor, the buffer zone that separates Egypt from Israel and Gaza Strip.

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) August 23, 2024

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that Israel’s withdrawal from the 8.7-mile strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt would be an element of the proposal agreed to by Netanyahu. However, to date, Blinken and other US officials have declined to detail the “bridging proposal” laid out last week, designed to bring Israel and Hamas closer to a ceasefire agreement.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says Israel is ahead of "a significant week."

"We are ahead of a significant week amid the ongoing negotiations in Cairo, the fighting in Gaza and [on] the northern border. Our readiness is very high in attack and defense," he says in an…

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 24, 2024

Hamas insists that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) withdraw fully from Gaza and that citizens must be allowed to return. Meanwhile, Israeli officials argue that a solution must be found to better control the Egypt-Gaza border, long used for smuggling. The prime minister’s office quickly denied any intention to leave the area, which Israeli troops seized in May.

🚨🚨🚨Israeli official: Despite the escalation with Lebanon, the negotiation summit in Cairo regarding the Gaza hostage deal will take place today as planned. The Israeli negotiations team – Mossad director, Shin Bet chief and IDF general Nitzan Alon are expected to travel to…

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) August 25, 2024

“Israel will insist on the achievement of all its objectives for the war, as defined by the Security Cabinet, including that Gaza never again constitutes a security threat to Israel. This requires securing the southern border,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, describing Kan’s reporting as “incorrect.” The statement also appeared to contradict Blinken’s remarks on Tuesday, when he mentioned that Netanyahu had agreed to the bridging proposal and its proposed troop withdrawals. In his remarks before departing Qatar, Blinken emphasized that Israel had agreed to the schedule and locations of IDF withdrawals from Gaza.

Biden and Netanyahu discuss ceasefire.

Blinken was in Qatar as part of a short trip to the region, aiming for a final push for all sides to agree to a ceasefire that would halt the fighting in Gaza and free the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. A senior US administration official criticized Netanyahu’s reported comments about not withdrawing as “maximalist statements” that are “not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line.” CIA Director Bill Burns and other senior negotiators are expected to return to Cairo this weekend for further high-level talks. Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday, according to US Central Command, bolstering US forces as the region braces for a potential Iranian attack. The aircraft carrier was ordered to the Middle East in early August following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iranian officials vowed to retaliate against Israel for the assassination. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the carrier and its accompanying destroyers to accelerate their transit to the Middle East amid widespread concerns that Iran might be preparing for a large-scale coordinated attack against Israel with its regional proxies. On Tuesday, Iran mentioned that its response to Israel must be “carefully calibrated” to avoid derailing the ceasefire negotiations. However, Iran’s mission to the UN clarified that a response was still forthcoming. “The timing, conditions, and manner of Iran’s response will be meticulously orchestrated to ensure that it occurs at a moment of maximum surprise,” stated the Iranian mission. The USS Abraham Lincoln joins the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group in the region. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is expected to remain for several more days before returning to the US. The Pentagon previously announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln would replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The US also has the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, several destroyers, and the USS Georgia, a guided missile submarine.