Israel's refusal to withdraw from Gaza: Hostage deal in jeopardy with negotiations on edge

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Awaiting negotiations on a potential prisoner exchange deal in Cairo, Israelis are approaching the talks with a mix of hope and pessimism. 

Reports indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains resolute on maintaining Israel's military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, rejecting a US-Egyptian proposal that suggests withdrawing troops and reducing the number of monitoring points from eight to two. 

Netanyahu's stance has been deemed by many as a decisive factor that could lead to the failure of the negotiations even before they properly begin. 

During an extended meeting of Israel's mini-security cabinet on Thursday night, the ongoing negotiations in Cairo were discussed in detail. Ministers demanded to be fully briefed on the negotiations, which had previously been kept from them under the pretext of preventing leaks. 

The majority of the cabinet members backed Netanyahu's position, which prolongs the war in southern Israel, rejecting the mediators' proposal for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal. The deal's third and final stage involves ending the war and withdrawing Israeli troops.

In a parallel move, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has sought to impose its own reality on the ground, with President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly requesting permission from Israel to enter Gaza. 

It has also been revealed that reconciliation talks are underway between Abbas and his rival, Mohammed Dahlan, who was previously exiled from the Fatah movement and now resides in the UAE. If successful, the reconciliation meeting is expected to take place in Moscow.

The PA's moves aim to establish control over the Philadelphi Corridor and, subsequently, the Gaza Strip. 

However, the Israeli government opposes this scenario, arguing that accepting the mediators' proposal and allowing the PA to take control would enable Hamas fighters to remain in Gaza, potentially strengthening their capabilities.

As tensions and protests rise within Israel, internal divisions have deepened amid fears of the deal's potential failure and its impact on the lives of hostages, as well as the possibility of escalation in the north. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli army is intensifying its training in anticipation of a possible large-scale response from Hezbollah following the assassination of the party's senior commander, Fouad Shokor, after the current round of negotiations concludes.

The Israeli Navy has also ramped up its preparations, conducting drills at sea to simulate various defense and attack scenarios, particularly concerning the security of strategic sites such as gas fields, the Port of Haifa, and the surrounding Gulf region.