Jerusalem:The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel must maintain open control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, sticking to its stance on an issue that has threatened to derail ceasefire efforts.
Netanyahu’s comments came as the United States is developing a new proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, hoping to break a long stalemate and end the nearly 11-month-old war.
The issue of Israeli control of the Philadelphia corridor – a narrow strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt, seized by troops in May – has emerged as a central stumbling block in the talks. Hamas has demanded an eventual full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the multi-phase truce deal.
Egypt, which is mediating the talks alongside the United States and Qatar, has also demanded a concrete timeline for Israeli troops to leave the Philadelphia corridor. And on Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates, which established formal ties with Israel in the 2020 Abraham Accords, also criticized the Israeli stance.
Speaking to foreign reporters, Netanyahu reiterated his stance that Israel must maintain its control over the border to prevent Hamas from rearming by smuggling weapons into Gaza. He said it was a vital part of the war’s goal to ensure Hamas could not repeat its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“Gaza must be demilitarized, and this can only happen if the Philadelphia corridor remains under firm control,” he said, claiming that Israeli troops had discovered dozens of tunnels under the border.
He said Israel would only consider withdrawing from the corridor when it was presented with an alternative force to guard it.
“Bring me someone who can actually show us … that they can actually prevent a repeat” of the smuggling, he said. “I don’t see that happening right now. And until that happens, we’re there.” Families of the remaining hostages have stepped up their demands that he agree to a deal after Hamas killed six hostages last week as Israeli troops appeared to be moving to rescue them. In angry public statements, the hostages’ families have accused Netanyahu of blocking a deal and potentially sacrificing the lives of their loved ones for the sake of holding the border strip. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent days, calling for a deal and saying time is running out to bring the hostages home alive.
Netanyahu responded to the pressure, saying his stance was necessary to “ensure that Hamas does not pose a threat to Israel.” “I can understand the torment of the families,” he said. “But the responsibility of the leaders is not simply to share the feeling, the emotion, but also to exercise judgment.” Asked by reporters for a timeline for ending the war, he declined to give one. “How long can we do this? As long as it takes to achieve this victory. And I think we are getting much closer,” he said.
Netanyahu repeatedly insisted that holding the border would also put pressure on Hamas to release hostages. At one point, he wrongly claimed that the Rafah invasion in May forced Hamas to release its first hostages, something that happened months earlier in November under a week-long ceasefire agreement. He later said the agreement was “the result of our invasion, of the military pressure we put on them.”
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