White House Claims Ceasefire Deal '90 Percent' Done as Netanyahu Holds Firm on Corridor

JERUSALEM, Israel – The White House says a deal for a ceasefire and the release of some of the hostages is about 90 percent done. The sticking point remains the Philadelphi Corridor, the strategic piece of land along the Egypt-Gaza border.

The White House claims an agreement is close, although it admits the Hamas terror tactic of threatening to kill more hostages after having just killed six last week is pressuring negotiators to seal a ceasefire deal.

National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby revealed the murders "absolutely created a sense of even greater urgency to get the deal." He added, "It also underscores how difficult it is to negotiate with a guy like Mr. Sinwar (the leader of Hamas)."

The hostage deal in progress revolves around the fate of the Philadelphi Corridor. At a press conference this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated control of the corridor is crucial to achieving the goals of Israel's war to defeat Hamas.

“All three of those goals, all three of them, go through Israel’s control of the Philadelphi Corridor. And it’s obvious why. You want to destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities; you can’t let Hamas rearm. It’s obvious. You have to control the Corridor," Netanyahu said.

The prime minister warned that the threat of Hamas regaining control is an invitation to another October 7th.

“So people said, 'Yeah, but if you stay, this will kill the deal,' and I say, such a deal will kill us.” 

WATCH: Philadelphi Ceasefire? 'You Can't Let Hamas Rearm' 

Netanyahu believes control of the corridor is also vital to prevent Hamas from smuggling the hostages out of Gaza. Sinwar planned to use the tunnels along the corridor to leave Gaza and flee to Iran.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to pressure Netanyahu to accept a deal that would cede control of the corridor. 

Columnist and author Melanie Phillips noted, "Despite the thousands on the streets, most Israelis get this. In one opinion poll, 79 percent agreed that Israel needed to control Philadelphi permanently to prevent weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza."

Amid the talks for a deal, Israel's warfare goes on, as the IDF takes out more Palestinian terrorists while also being hit with more than 1,300 rockets from Hezbollah in August alone, the most since October 7th.

In Jerusalem, hundreds of Israelis came to the shiva (mourning gathering) of Rachel and Jon Goldberg-Polin. Some waited for hours just to sit for a few moments with the grieving parents whose son, Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was murdered last week by Hamas, along with five other Israeli hostages.

Jon Medved, the CEO and founder of Our Crowd, spoke to CBN News about the impact of the killings.

“That was a body blow which has affected my neighborhood since one of the hostages, you know, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, is from our neighborhood," he explained. "But all of Israel suffers from this. And our friends suffered from it. And our friends are praying with us, which we appreciate.”

Medved is certain that while Israel is in anguish now, its enemies who seek to destroy Israel and the Jewish people will fail.

He noted, “A lot of our enemies from thousands of years ago, they're gone. There's no memory of them. And if you want a little prediction, organizations like Hamas, whose whole purpose is to destroy the Jewish people – well, you know, I've got some advice for them."

Medved continued, " A lot of people have tried – better people than you – and they've all failed. You are going to fail, and there's going to be no memory of this kind of an organization in a thousand years from now.”

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