Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday that some issues "remain unresolved" in a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostage deal, shortly after local and international media outlets widely reported that such a deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas.
In a statement, the office said that "Hamas backed down at the last moment from its demand to change the deployment of Israeli forces along the Philadelphi Corridor." The corridor is located along the border between southern Gaza and Egypt.
It added that despite this concession, "several provisions under the deal remain unresolved, and we hope the details will be finalized tonight."
In an earlier media briefing in the evening, an Israeli government official said Hamas had added new conditions at the last minute, to which the country "fully objects."
According to the official, Hamas introduced new demands concerning the Philadelphi Corridor, in addition to the previous documents and maps approved by Israel.
Israeli forces are currently deployed in the area and have established military posts there. However, under the draft agreement presented by mediators in Qatar to both Israel and Hamas, Israel will significantly reduce its forces in the corridor.