IDF will not withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor

Israel has decided not to pull its forces out of the Philadelphi corridor, which is the border area between Egypt and Gaza, even though this was part of the ceasefire deal with Hamxs, an Israeli official told ABC News.

"We will not allow Hamxs murderers to once again roam our borders with pickup trucks and guns, and we will not allow them to rebuild strength from smuggling," the official explained in a statement. This shows Israel’s worry about Hamxs regaining power if they leave the area.

The Philadelphi corridor has been a major issue in talks between Israel and Hamxs for months before they agreed to the ceasefire. Israel’s refusal to leave could cause problems with both Hamas and Egypt, who helped make the ceasefire happen, especially since the peace is already shaky.

According to the ceasefire plan, Israel was supposed to start leaving the Philadelphi corridor and all of Gaza on Saturday, the final day of the first phase. They were given eight days to fully withdraw from the corridor.

For Hamxs, having Israel leave the corridor is a must. They wouldn’t agree to any ceasefire that let Israeli troops stay there.

Israeli leaders have said lately that they think their army needs to stay in the Philadelphi corridor to stop weapons from being smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. Israel has already destroyed tunnels there to try to stop this.

Defense Minister Israel Katz recently told local leaders that he saw tunnels going under the border when he visited the corridor.

But not everyone agrees. Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant disagreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insists Israel must stay in the Philadelphi corridor and the Netzarim corridor (which splits Gaza into north and south) to keep the country safe and meet military goals.

Back in August, Herzi Halevi, who was then the head of Israel’s army, said holding onto Gaza or the Philadelphi corridor shouldn’t be a reason to ruin a possible deal with Hamas. He believes the army can handle things even if Israel leaves Gaza and gives up control of the corridor.
The first part of the ceasefire ends this Saturday.

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