US efforts to finalize hostage deal falter as key obstacles remain

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

The US efforts to finalize a revised proposal for a hostage exchange deal, promised by President Joe Biden, have failed. The details of the deal were expected to be announced by the end of the week. 

However, optimism has waned, even among Americans, about the likelihood of reaching a deal soon due to the lack of progress on key contentious points, most notably the Philadelphi Corridor and the captives included in the deal from both the Israelis and Palestinians, alongside the ceasefire duration.

Washington has attempted to draft a map outlining the Israeli army's deployment in the Philadelphi Corridor with the smallest possible number of soldiers. But an agreement on this issue has been elusive. 

US efforts, led in coordination with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, have not succeeded, especially in the absence of the negotiating delegation. 

This will prompt US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit Israel within days. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting with security leaders to discuss ways to handle the failure to reach a deal.

The Philadelphi Corridor remains the biggest obstacle in the negotiations, prompting the Americans to attempt to resolve the issue by dividing it into three parts:

The first is the area between the sea and the Rafah Crossing, where Washington proposes the establishment of a technological system overseen by Egypt and the United States to prevent smuggling above and below ground.
   
Meanwhile, the second is the reopening of the Rafah Crossing, located about 10 kilometers east of the coastline. An agreement on this point is expected to be finalized before Blinken's arrival.

The third is the section between the Rafah Crossing and Kerem Shalom Border Crossing, a sparsely populated area; from the American perspective, Israel can remain there during the initial phase of the deal.

However, the Americans find it difficult to reach a consensus on Netanyahu's demand to have Israeli army presence at monitoring points between the sea and the Rafah Crossing.

In addition to the Philadelphi Corridor issue, Washington has been unable to finalize an agreement on a ceasefire between the first and second phases of the deal, though they consider it a less complicated point.

While security agencies announced they are preparing for escalating tensions on the northern front, the West Bank, and Gaza due to the deal's failure, Netanyahu draws strength from opinion polls showing an increase in his party's seats from 21 to 23 if elections were held soon.