Israel in Talks Over Withdrawing From Egypt-Gaza Border, Officials Say

Israel and Egypt have privately discussed a possible withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza’s border with Egypt, according to two Israeli officials and a senior Western diplomat, a shift that could remove one of the main obstacles to a cease-fire deal with Hamas.

After more than nine months of war in the Gaza Strip, the discussions between Israel and Egypt are among a flurry of diplomatic actions on multiple continents aimed at achieving a truce and putting the enclave on a path toward postwar governance.

Officials from both Hamas, which ruled Gaza before the war, and Fatah, the political faction that controls the Palestinian Authority, said Monday that China will host meetings with them next week in an effort to bridge gaps between the rival Palestinian groups.

And Israel is dispatching its national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, to Washington this week for meetings at the White House, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office.

Negotiations for a truce appear to have gained momentum in recent days, but several points of contention remain. One involves the length of a cease-fire: Hamas is demanding that it be permanent, while Israel wants one that is temporary.

Hamas has also said that Israeli withdrawal from areas that include the Egypt-Gaza border is a prerequisite for a cease-fire.