Harsh Criticisms from Gantz to Netanyahu
According to Israeli media, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz refuted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims about the Philadelphi Corridor at a press conference held with former War Cabinet member Gadi Eisenkot. Gantz stated that the reasons put forward by Netanyahu are illogical in many respects. “Netanyahu is not speaking the truth; he will not bring back alive the kidnapped people held in Gaza, nor does he have any intention of sending home those displaced in the north of the country,” he said.
Gantz also argued that Netanyahu could not prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and shared his experiences in the War Cabinet established after October 7: “Netanyahu systematically narrowed the possibility of progress in the negotiations for the release of the abducted people. Khan Younis of the Gaza Strip “When we asked him to increase military pressure on the cities of Rafah and Rafah, he panicked and stopped the operation. This situation, of course, is not a surprise; “Netanyahu is focused on staying in politics and this is damaging our strategic relations with the United States.”
Gantz emphasized that the Philadelphi Corridor does not pose a threat to the Israeli existence and that they will withdraw and return from there whenever they want. “Control of the Philadelphia Corridor is vital against smuggling,” said Gantz, underlining that simply having soldiers in watchtowers there will not help close the tunnels. “Those soldiers will be hunted like ducks on a shooting range,” he said.
While Gantz stated that the Israeli security agency was making plans to close the tunnels in Gaza and that this was the “real solution”, he emphasized that Netanyahu refrained from implementing this plan and did not meet with Egypt’s coup leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Reminding that Netanyahu claimed that they would achieve a great victory by destroying Hamas in the Rafah region of Gaza a few months ago, Gantz stated that the problem is not about the Philadelphi Corridor, the real issue is about not making strategic decisions.
Criticism from Eisenkot
Former War Cabinet member Gadi Eisenkot also responded to Netanyahu’s claims about the Gaza-Egypt border and said, “Israel’s strategic position will neither increase nor decrease with the Philadelphia Corridor.” Arguing that the Iranian threat was ignored during the current government’s term, Eisenkot said, “Israel is going through its worst days since the day it was founded. We have not been able to achieve any of the goals we set for the war.”
Meanwhile, the statement made by Netanyahu’s office responded to Gantz’s criticism and said, “Israel has been rid of Hamas’s chief of staff since the day Gantz and his party resigned from the government.” “Since there are no obstacles in the Philadelphia Corridor, Gaza has become a great threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.
