Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, a 9-mile strip along the Gaza-Egypt border, despite a ceasefire agreement that required its military forces to do so, an Israeli official told ABC News.
“We will not allow Hamas murderers to once again roam our borders with pickup trucks and guns, and we will not allow them to rebuild strength from smuggling,” the Israeli official said.
The announcement comes just days before the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is set to expire, and only hours after Hamas released the final hostages scheduled for release under the initial phase.
Israel’s stance directly contradicts the terms of its ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which outlined a phased Israeli withdrawal from the area.
Israel was scheduled to begin its withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor—and the entire Gaza Strip—on Saturday, March 1, the last day of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. The withdrawal was to be completed within eight days.
Hamas has insisted that Israel’s withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor is a non-negotiable aspect of any long-term ceasefire. The militant group has previously rejected ceasefire proposals that did not include this requirement, seeing Israeli control of the border as an infringement on Gaza’s autonomy.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israeli forces must remain in the corridor for security reasons, some senior defense officials, including former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and ex-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, earlier argued that controlling the area should not be a prerequisite for negotiating with Hamas, saying Israel can maintain its security without holding a territory within Gaza.
On Thursday, delegations from Israel and Qatar arrived in Cairo to engage in negotiations over the next stages of the Gaza ceasefire deal. The talks, facilitated by Egyptian officials, will also include representatives from the U.S.
“The relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings,” Egypt’s State Information Service said in a statement.
