10:33 – The Philadelphia Corridor: A Sticking Point in the Negotiations
The Philadelphia Corridor is one of the points of disagreement between Israel and Hamas in the negotiations for a ceasefire. It is because of the piece of border between Gaza and Egypt that Israel had not accepted a previous truce agreement approved by Hamas and that today the situation seems to be reversed. The Palestinian group refuses that the Hebrew State obtains control of this corridor, as does Egypt, one of the mediating countries in the negotiations, but Israel demands to be able to place troops on this piece of land which is a gateway to the Gaza Strip. The agreement proposed by Washington and accepted by Israel could therefore provide permission for Israeli troops to be present in this Philadelphia Corridor. And while such a measure could be seen as a mode of occupation by Israel near Gaza, Anthony Blinken recalled “very clearly that the United States does not accept a long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel” to cut short the criticism.
10:01 – “Time is running out” to conclude a ceasefire
Anthony Blinken ended his visit to the Middle East by calling on Hamas to accept the truce agreement proposed by Washington to end the war in Israel and the Palestinian group. The head of American diplomacy assured that “time is running out” and that the new compromise plan could be that of “the last chance”. According to the American representative, the Israeli Prime Minister has already accepted the agreement which provides for an additional measure requested by the Hebrew State during the previous negotiations, which was already rejected by Hamas. This last measure is one of the sticking points between the two belligerents and could be one of the reasons for a new failure of the negotiations.
08/20/24 – 11:54 PM – Remarks by Benjamin Netanyahu deemed not “constructive”
In the midst of negotiations on a new ceasefire, a US official accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Middle East negotiations, declared statements attributed to the Israeli prime minister regarding Israel’s control of the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to be “unconstructive.” These remarks, deemed “maximalist” by the US official, “certainly risk compromising the possibility of moving forward in the discussions,” he said.
20/08/24 – 23:44 – Death as the “only certainty” for Gazans
As a new truce in Gaza awaits, the bombings continue in the Palestinian enclave. With nowhere safe, “death seems to be the only certainty” for its inhabitants. Numbering 2.4 million, Gazans are struggling to find places to take shelter from the Israeli response to the October 7 attack, according to Louise Wateridge, a spokeswoman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to Agence France-Presse. “In the Gaza Strip, there is absolutely no place safe, it is absolutely distressing,” she explained.
20/08/24 – 22:41 – “Time is running out,” says Blinken
As Hamas continues to reject the latest US proposals for a truce in the Gaza Strip, Antony Blinken has called on the Palestinian movement to accept them. Explaining that “time is running out,” the US Secretary of State also indicated that the United States refuses to see Israel occupy the Gaza Strip in the long term in retaliation for the terrorist attack on its soil on October 7.