Breaking deal, 'Israel' to continue occupying Philadelphi Corridor

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Feb 2025 19:13
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The Israeli occupation is seeking to remain in Gaza's Philadelphi Corridor and utilize it as a "buffer zone".

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Israeli soldiers take up positions next to the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt, in the Gaza Strip, Sept. 13, 2024 (AP)

Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border will remain a “buffer zone,” signaling that the Israeli occupation would not comply with its scheduled withdrawal under the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.

"The Philadelphi Corridor will remain a buffer zone just like [Israel's borders with] Lebanon and Syria," Katz said in statements carried by Israeli Channel 12.

Under the agreement, the Israelis were set to begin withdrawing from the 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) corridor on Saturday. However, an Israeli official confirmed that Tel Aviv had no intention of doing so.

"We will not leave the Philadelphi Corridor," the public broadcaster KAN quoted the official as saying, adding that the Israeli regime would not allow Hamas "to again roam our borders with pickup trucks and guns, and we will not allow them to rearm through smuggling."

The Israeli military seized control of the corridor during its ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,300 people—mostly women and children—and left the blockaded strip in ruins.

Uncertainty over Philadelphi Corridor

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation quoted an Israeli source as saying on Wednesday that "Tel Aviv has not yet decided whether it will withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor in the Gaza Strip on the border with Sinai, as it pledged."

The Israeli source stated that the decision hinges on whether the ceasefire "will be extended," noting that both the United States and "Israel" are concerned about this issue.

As part of the prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance, "Israel" had pledged to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor on the 42nd day of the agreement, which falls next Saturday.

In September 2024, Hamas emphasized that any agreement with the occupation must include a cessation of aggression, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip—including the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah crossing—along the return of displaced people to their homes without restriction.

Additionally, the agreement should provide relief for the Palestinian people, facilitate reconstruction, and include an exchange deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously informed senior officiaals in the negotiating team with the Palestinian Resistance in August that, if it came down to a choice between retaining Israeli control over the Philadelphi Corridor or returning the captives, he "prefers the Philadelphi Corridor at this time," according to Israeli Channel 12.