The Philadelphia Corridor remains a sticking point in Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks between Israel and Hamas, Israeli media reported Sunday.
The corridor is a 14 kilometer demilitarized buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
According to the Israeli portal Walla, Israel wants to maintain control over the corridor, while Hamas demands a complete withdrawal of Israel from the area.
The news portal, citing security sources, said Israel wants to stay in the area until it destroys Hamas’ underground tunnels there.
“Israel will not leave Gaza until all the hostages are freed,” Energy Secretary Eli Cohen told Army Radio on Sunday.
“Everyone is clear that Israel will have security control over the strip, which means the ability to come and carry out an operation at any time and in any place.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed Israeli forces leaving the corridor from the start, insisting on isolating Gaza from the border with Egypt.
Israel’s Channel 12 says Netanyahu has not wavered from his demand for a permanent Israeli presence in the Philadelphia corridor even after the Doha summit.
He didn’t budge even after negotiators told him “Either the Philadelphia Corridor or a deal.”
Ceasefire talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, concluded on Friday with the presentation of a “proposal that narrows the gap” between Israel and Hamas, which is in line with the principles outlined on May 31 by US President Joe Biden.
Biden said in May that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a ceasefire, an exchange of hostages and prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to secure a prisoner exchange and ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
But mediation efforts have been stalled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas demands to end the war.
