During the discussions, an agreement was reached that "the IDF will withdraw at a later date," though Egyptian officials pressed for the withdrawal to occur as soon as possible. The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported from a source familiar with the talks that Egyptian, Israeli, and American officials discussed the details of the ceasefire proposal in Cairo yesterday. Egypt agreed to the Israeli demand not to set a timeline for the withdrawal from the Philadelphi Route as part of the final agreement, having previously refused this request, according to Sapir Lipkin.
The recent discussions resulted in an agreement to reduce the number of Israeli soldiers present on the route, "with a view towards their withdrawal at a later date." However, Egyptian officials requested that "the full withdrawal occur as soon as possible." They also asked their American counterparts to "accelerate the delivery of the agreed-upon equipment for securing the border strip" and committed to ensuring the non-existence of smuggling tunnels along the Egyptian border.
According to the report, Cairo believes that the last round of negotiations in Doha, along with intelligence contacts with various parties, "narrowed the gaps – but it still does not guarantee that a ceasefire agreement will be reached and announced during the meetings."
