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Israeli forces on Monday appeared to remain stationed along the Gaza-Egypt border despite the deadline for full withdrawal having passed. It was set out in the ceasefire-hostage deal struck between Israel and Hamas in January.
As part of the agreement, Israeli forces were supposed to have completely withdrawn from the 14km strip of land called Salah Al Din, also known as the Philadelphi Corridor, on the 50th day of the agreement, which was reached on Monday. Israel’s military did not comment on the status of its forces in the area but sources told The National some troops were still present and an Israeli official told CNN late last month that the country would not be withdrawing as originally agreed.
The ongoing Israeli military presence in the corridor is yet another challenge to the stalling ceasefire deal after the expiry of the first phase of the agreement and the failure to start negotiations on the second. Israel wants to extend the first phase, under which Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hamas wants the deal to proceed to the second phase, as per the original timetable, during which both sides would work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire alongside more hostage and prisoner exchanges.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long touted the corridor as a key strategic priority for Israel in its Gaza campaign, saying cross-border smuggling over it allows Hamas to restock on military equipment. Dismantling Hamas’s military capability is a key part of Mr Netanyahu’s promise for “total victory” over the group after the October 7 attacks in 2023.
The Israeli official quoted in CNN’s February report said: “We will not allow Hamas murderers to roam again with trucks and rifles on our borders, and we will not let them strengthen themselves again through smuggling.”
The same day, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military “maintains a defined buffer zone in Gaza” that includes the Salah Al Din corridor.
“I will tell you, as Defence Minister, that I visited there and saw penetrating tunnels – some blocked and some still penetrating from Gaza to the Egyptian side," he added. "What does this mean? Smuggling."
