ISTANBUL

An Egyptian source on Friday denied the existence of security arrangements between Cairo and Tel Aviv over the borders with the Gaza Strip.

The state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel cited a source, without mentioning his name, who denied the existence of such security arrangements and considered it as "Israeli rumors."

"There are Israeli parties that work through spreading rumors on new security arrangements with Israel in an attempt to hide its failures in Gaza," the source said, without naming them.

He added that there are still stuck points that prevent progress in the Gaza cease-fire negotiations.

"Egypt has exerted big efforts in the past period to achieve progress in the truce negotiations in Gaza," the Egyptian source also said.

Earlier, western media reported that Egyptian and Israeli negotiators are discussing an electronic surveillance system on the Gaza-Egypt borders that could allow the Israeli forces to withdraw from the border area if an agreement is reached.

On May 7, the Israeli army seized control of the Rafah crossing area, and was followed by Israel's control over the entire Gaza-Egypt border area, known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

So far, efforts by the US, Qatar, and Egypt to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Over 38,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar