Informed sources revealed that Israel has initially agreed to allow Qatar and other countries to finance efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip, as part of the current ceasefire talks with Hamas.
According to the Israeli newspaper “Yediot Aharonot”, Israel agreed to involve Qatar and other countries in financing the reconstruction, but stipulated that Doha not to grant full control over the money, with the need to participate in other countries in the financing mechanism “to ensure censorship and transparency.”
This development comes at a time when negotiations are still stalled, especially on controlling the vital Morag Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip, and on the Hamas weapon.
Hamas considers this step as a fundamental indication of the Gaza population on the seriousness of ending the war that has been going on for months, as it demands international guarantees that confirm the end of military operations permanently.
The sources pointed out that the issue of financing was raised in Washington this week, during meetings between American officials and a Qatari delegation, in conjunction with the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking to mobilize American support for an agreement that includes a prisoner exchange deal.
The main obstacle
Despite the rapprochement in some files, the differences are still ongoing about the “Morag Corridor”, the border strip between Khan Yunis and Rafah, which Israel wants to control and consider it a strategic location to prevent Hamas’s control of the southern sector.
Israel offered a proposal for a partial presence in the region, but Hamas has not announced its approval yet.
Reuters quoted a senior Israeli official, who declined to be identified, as saying that a ceasefire was possible within a week to two weeks.
He added that the two parties discussed a preliminary ceasefire agreement for a period of 60 days, which is used as a transitional period towards a permanent truce that includes the disarmament of Hamas, warning that the continuation of the rejection will lead to “expanding military operations.”
According to “Yediot Aharonot”, Israel plans to create a “human city” in the Morag Corridor area, which is a large civil complex that separates the population and the Hamas movement, and insists on maintaining security control over the corridor after the agreement, with the aim of examining the returnees to Rafah at Israeli checkpoints, especially with the destruction of the city’s infrastructure almost completely.
Trump: Stop the war is possible
In a related context, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching a close agreement, saying at a press conference from the White House: “I think there is a good opportunity to reach a deal with Hamas within a week or two, although nothing is certain in wars, whether in Gaza or others.”
He added: “We are approaching a lot of agreement. I do not care if things are confidential or public. The important thing is that we achieve a ceasefire and reach peace and restore the hostages, and I think we are about to achieve this.”
