Israeli PM Netanyahu resists pressure to cede control of Gaza corridors in ceasefire talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firm stance on retaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor highlights the strategic importance Israel places on preventing Hamas from smuggling weapons and fighters into Gaza from Egypt.

The Philadelphi Corridor is a narrow strip along the Gaza-Egypt border, and Israel has long viewed it as critical to its security efforts. Netanyahu’s refusal to relinquish control of this corridor has been a significant point of contention in ceasefire negotiations, which Egypt, Qatar, and the United States mediate.

Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining checkpoints in the Netzarim Corridor further underscores Israel’s focus on preventing the movement of armed Hamas fighters within the Gaza Strip, particularly from the southern to the northern regions.

These demands are at the heart of the ongoing disputes in the ceasefire talks, as they touch on Israel’s broader security concerns and its efforts to limit Hamas’ military capabilities.

The person said Netanyahu had agreed to shift one Philadelphi position by a few hundred metres but would retain overall control of the corridor, despite pressure from members of his own negotiating team for more concessions.

”The prime minister insists that this situation will continue, contrary to pressure from certain elements in the negotiating team who are willing to withdraw from there,” said the person, who has close knowledge of the negotiations.

Israel’s Channel 12 television reported this week that Netanyahu had been bitterly critical of the negotiating team, led by David Barnea, the chief of the Mossad intelligence service, for being willing to make too many concessions.

More than 10 months after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war, the United States has been pressing Israel for an end to hostilities.

Hamas-led gunmen killed some 1,200 people and abducted around 250 hostages on Oct.7, according to Israeli tallies, while Israeli bombardments have laid waste to Gaza and killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the enclave.

But with pressure from hardliners in his own cabinet against any concessions, and with opinion polls indicating a pick-up in the disastrous ratings he had at the start of the war, the prime minister has said repeatedly he aims for total victory over Hamas.

With inputs from agencies.