Israel to keep army on Gaza-Egypt border

By Nathan Morley

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will not withdraw military forces from the Gaza-Egypt border.

Netanyahu denied that he has agreed to withdraw military forces from the border as part of a possible ceasefire deal with Hamas. He described media reports as being "incorrect" and highlighted that Israel has not agreed to renounce control over the area.

The Washington-backed bridging proposal includes a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, an important border area between Gaza and Egypt.

Netanyahu also spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss advancing the ceasefire deal, but no details of the conversation were made public.

Elsewhere, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has claimed that Hamas' Rafah Division in Gaza has been defeated and indicated that the military was turning its focus to the fighting against Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

Early Wednesday, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at the occupied Golan Heights after Israeli jets struck inside Lebanon. Lebanese authorities said one person was killed and 30 others injured.