Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to soften his position on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the southern part of the Gaza Strip. This concerns the strip on the border with Egypt, the so-called Philadelphia corridor. The head of government said that Israel must control it because it is “the one that keeps Hamas alive”. He also asked for forgiveness from the families of six hostages murdered by Hamas, whose bodies were brought back to the country on Sunday.
The issue of the so-called Philadelphia corridor, i.e. the strip near the border Egypt with the Gaza Strip, was a major sticking point in efforts to secure a deal to stop fighting in the Gaza Strip and return Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Israel wants to maintain control of these routes, arguing for security reasons. Both Hamas and Egypt oppose this. Hamas demands a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Netanyahu: We must control the corridor that keeps Hamas alive
Meanwhile, Netanyahu said at a press conference on Monday that Israel will not abandon the site where Israeli troops have discovered dozens of tunnels that the Israeli side claims were used to smuggle weapons and ammunition into the Gaza Strip.
– The axis of evil needs the Philadelphia corridor and that is why we must control it – said the head of the Israeli government. – It is precisely because Hamas insists that we withdraw from there, that I insist that we remain there – he added. He also said that Israel's withdrawal from this border would allow “Hamas to bring hostages to Iran”.
Netanyahu noted that if Israel leaves the corridor now, it will not be able to regain control over the territory. He recalled that after Israel withdrew from the entire Gaza Strip in 2005, the border with Egypt was not controlled by the Jewish state, which allowed Hamas and its arsenal to develop.
Netanyahu: We will not let Hamas get away with this massacre
The prime minister also asked for forgiveness from the families of six hostages murdered by Hamas, kidnapped on October 7, 2023. On Sunday morning, the Israeli military brought their bodies back to the country. According to medics, they were held in the Gaza Strip for nearly 11 months, then shot just days before their bodies were found by Israeli soldiers.
“We were close to saving them, but we failed. We will not let Hamas get away with this massacre, Hamas will pay a very high price for it,” Netanyahu said.
The deaths of more hostages have reignited months of anti-government protests in Israel. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday evening. On Monday morning, Gaza held its first general strike since the war began. Protesters are demanding an immediate ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which includes an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
Internal friction in the government
According to media, the issue of control over the Gaza-Egypt border is also a subject of friction within the Israeli government. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and his supporters are said to oppose Netanyahu's tough stance, arguing that it makes it harder to reach an agreement, and that the military is able to secure the Philadelphia corridor, even if soldiers were to withdraw from it temporarily.
In the war that was sparked by the attack on October 7, more than 40,700 Palestinians have died and the city has been devastated. Gaza Strip is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.
Gaza StripPAP – Ziemienowicz Adam, Maciej Zieliński
Main image source: PAP/EPA/OHAD ZWIGENBERG / POOL