The Israeli military establishment has found no evidence that Hamas might try to smuggle hostages out of Gaza into Egypt through the Philadelphi Corridor despite claims from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Haaretz reported on Tuesday.
Netanyahu recently made the claim that Hamas could smuggle hostages to Iran through Egypt to justify his demand that Israel must maintain control of the Philadelphi Corridor. But Israeli media reported that military officials don’t think Hamas has the capability to smuggle hostages into Egypt, let alone another country.
Netanyahu’s demand for the Philadelphi Corridor has been the main obstacle to a hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas. The Israeli military does not believe the conditions are necessary for a temporary ceasefire deal.
Netanyahu’s efforts to sabotage the chances of a hostage deal have been widely reported by Israeli media, but the US is still pinning all the blame for the lack of an agreement on Hamas. According to The Times of Israel, the US is at odds with Egypt and Qatar over who is at fault.
The report said the disagreement is so profound that Egypt and Qatar, which have been mediating the hostage deal talks, might release a joint statement blaming Israel for the failure.
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said there was a “strategic opportunity” for a hostage deal with Hamas but stressed any ceasefire would only be temporary.
“Israel should achieve an agreement that will bring about a pause for six weeks and bring back hostages,” Gallant said, according to The Associated Press. After that period, Gallant said Israel would “maintain the right to operate and achieve our goals — including the destruction of Hamas.”
