Israel-Hamas Negotiations and the Philadelphia Corridor
The Israeli news site “Walla” reported that the main sticking point in the negotiations for the cessation of hostilities and the prisoner exchange is the 14-kilometer Philadelphia corridor. The report said that Hamas insists that the Israeli army withdraws from the area completely, but the Tel Aviv government wants to keep the Philadelphia corridor under control “to prevent the re-activation of smuggling tunnels from the Sinai region.”
According to Walla, it has been suggested that Israel could withdraw from the Philadelphia corridor “within six months at most” in order to release Israeli prisoners held in Gaza. An unnamed security source claimed that “Hamas will have difficulty reactivating the tunnels it has built over decades.” The source also reported that Israel has not accepted to withdraw from the Philadelphia corridor “because it has not been able to locate and destroy the tunnels belonging to Hamas.”
The source said, “The Israeli security establishment insists on maintaining its ability to return and fight Hamas, which is why it does not accept the cessation of hostages.” On the other hand, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Israeli army radio, “We will not leave Gaza until all hostages are released.” Cohen stated that in this process, “Israel will take control of the security of the Gaza Strip, and this will allow it to return and launch attacks whenever and wherever it wants.”
Cohen also argued that “the Philadelphia corridor should remain under Israeli control” regarding the corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border. According to Channel 12 television, it was emphasized yesterday that there are still “major obstacles” to reach an agreement between Hamas and Israel. The report included information that Israel insists on remaining in the Philadelphia corridor on the Egyptian border in Gaza and the Netzarim corridor near Gaza City.
