Israel will not withdraw from Gaza corridors 'under any circumstances', Netanyahu vows

Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border and the Netzarim Axis, which divides the Gaza Strip into two parts “under any circumstances”, Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

“Israel will not, under any circumstances, leave the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Axis despite the enormous pressure it is under to do so,” Netanyahu said in statements cited by Israeli daily, Maariv, during a meeting with families of Israelis held captive in Gaza.

“These are strategic principles, both militarily and politically,” added Netanyahu.

His comments came hours after US President, Joe Biden, and his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that the Israeli Premier had agreed to a recent ceasefire and prisoner swap proposal floated by Washington.

Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar concluded on Friday by presenting “a proposal that narrows the gaps” between Israel and Hamas that is consistent with the principles set out by Biden on 31 May.

READ: Israel negotiators return from Egypt without deal on Philadelphi Corridor

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, a hostage-prisoner exchange and the reconstruction of Gaza.

But Hamas accused Netanyahu on Sunday of setting new conditions in the Gaza ceasefire and hostage swap proposal that was floated during the Doha talks.

“The new proposal meets Netanyahu’s conditions and alignments with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing the occupation of the Netzarim Junction (which separates the north and south of the Gaza Strip), the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor (in the south),” Hamas said in a statement.

“He also set new conditions in the hostage swap file and retracted from other terms, which obstructs the completion of the deal,” it added.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’s demands to stop the war.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on 7 October, 2023 despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The conflict has resulted in over 40,170 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 92,740 injuries, according to local health authorities.

The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on 6 May.

READ: Reports: US pressuring Egypt to deploy troops in Gaza day after war