Documents obtained by The New York Times confirmed that Israel added new demands to the ceasefire proposal unveiled by President Biden back in May, an effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sabotage the chances of a deal.
The Times report said that Israeli negotiators believed Netanyahu’s added demands created more obstacles to a deal. This has also been acknowledged by Mossad Director David Barnea, the Israeli official in charge of the peace talks.
The new demands included a screening mechanism for the Israeli military to ensure displaced Palestinians returning to northern Gaza were not armed and indefinite Israeli control of the Gaza-Egypt border, which is not only opposed by Hamas but also by the Egyptian government.