Report: Israel Will Not Withdraw from Philadelphi Corridor

Photo Credit: Oren Cohen/Flash90

The starting point of the Philadelphi Corridor that runs from the Mediterranean to the Israeli border in the east along the southern Gaza Strip border with Egypt, July 15, 2024.

Israeli officials have informed Arab mediators that Israel aims to maintain an open-ended security presence in Gaza, establish buffer zones in the northern and eastern parts of the territory, and fully dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Israel also told the mediators that it would not withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow land strip bordering Egypt.

The US is a key mediator in the negotiations and has expressed its commitment to advancing to the second phase of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and ending the war. President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is traveling to the Middle East this week to negotiate its continuation. He told CNN on Sunday, “We have to get an extension of phase one and so I’ll be going into the region this week probably Wednesday to negotiate that.”

Hamas may be open to an extension of phase one. A Hamas spokesman said on Sunday, “Whether we extend the first phase depends on what is presented and the guarantees regarding the occupation’s commitment.”

Delaying the second phase to bring more Israeli hostages home before talks about phase two start may work for a short while, but the larger issues such as Hamas aiming to end the war versus Israel’s stance that the war will end after Hamas is annihilated will eventually need to be addressed.

When Defense Minister Israel Katz visited the Philadelphi corridor last December, and declared, “Security control in Gaza will remain in the hands of the IDF. There will be no Hamas in government here and no Hamas in the military here.” He continued, “In Gaza, we will ensure the establishment of security spaces, buffer zones, and command posts to protect the communities. We will work to achieve the two main objectives of the war—releasing all hostages and defeating Hamas.”