Israel agreed to withdraw troops from Gaza – Blinken

Israel has agreed to withdraw its troops from parts of Gaza as part of ongoing attempts to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian group Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday, following the latest round of negotiations in Qatar.

Speaking to reporters in Doha, Blinken was asked to comment on earlier reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convinced Washington to allow Israel to keep its forces in the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza.

While he did not share any specific details about the ongoing talks, which are being mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, the secretary of state said that “the United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel,” and that the current agreement being discussed is “very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israel Defense Forces) withdrawals from Gaza, and Israel has agreed to that.”