The omens for a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Israel and Hamas are looking alarmingly bleak following the latest shuttle diplomacy by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state. The US ‘bridging proposal’ aimed at resolving contested issues raised after the three-stage peace formula offered by President Biden on 31 May appears to be dead in the water.
Central to the impasse is the insistence by Benjamin Netanyahu that Israeli troops must be allowed to remain in two security corridors in Gaza to ensure that even if the fighting has stopped Israel will retain the ability to watch for and deter any future attempts by Hamas to rearm or launch attacks across the border.
They are identified by Israel as the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs for 8.7 miles along the length of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt; and a 3.7 mile stretch of land called the Netzarim Corridor, which runs south of Gaza City from the Israeli border to the sea, effectively cutting the Strip in half. Israel’s
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