Israel will not withdraw its troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, in a violation of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
Under the agreement, Israel is required to leave the corridor this Saturday, which marks the end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal. But an Israeli official said on Thursday that won’t happen.
“We will not withdraw from the Philadelphi route,” an Israeli official said, according to Haaretz. “We will not allow Hamas murderers to roam our border again with trucks and rifles, and we will not let them rearm through smuggling.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz compared the occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor to the Israeli occupation of southern Syria and southern Lebanon. “The Philadelphia axis will remain a buffer zone, just as is the case in Lebanon and Syria,” he said.
Katz also claimed that Israel had evidence Hamas was planning attacks on Israeli soldiers, which Hamas denied. Hamas also said the continued occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor was a clear violation of the ceasefire.
“[Katz’s] statements about keeping the border area between Gaza and Egypt as a buffer zone are a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, and an attempt to fabricate pretexts to disrupt and derail it,” Hamas said, according to The Cradle.
Israel captured the Philadelphi Corridor in May 2024 when it launched its assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, giving Israel total control of Gaza’s borders. During ceasefire negotiations last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly sabotaged the talks by demanding that Israel retain control of the Gaza-Egypt border.
Hamas also said it was open to an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire since a deal on the second phase hasn’t been reached as Israel delayed negotiations. “Hamas is ready for an extension based on the established red lines – the end of the war, a full Israeli withdrawal, a respectable prisoner exchange deal, and the beginning of the reconstruction process in Gaza,” said Hamas official Abd al-Latif al-Qanou.
Early Thursday, Hamas released four bodies of Israeli hostages, and Israel freed over 600 Palestinians from Israeli jails, the last exchange under the first phase of the ceasefire deal. The fate of the agreement is uncertain, and Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened they’re preparing to restart the genocidal war, and the US has made clear it’s ready to back whatever decision Israel makes.
Throughout the ceasefire, Israel has continuously violated the agreement by blocking certain types of aid from entering Gaza and continuing to kill Palestinians. Since the truce went into effect on January 19, Israel has killed more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza.
