Defending Israeli Troops In Philadelphia Corridor, PM Netanyahu: So October 7 Incidents Don't Repeat

Defense Minister Gallant met Israeli troops in Philadelphia Corridor. (Source: Ariel Heremoni/Defense Ministry)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the decision to maintain Israel's military presence in the Philadelphia Corridor was to control the corridor which was considered important for Hamas, so that last year's October incident would not be repeated.

"The crime axis requires Philadelphia corridors, and for that reason we must control Philadelphia corridors," he told a news conference in Jerusalem.

"Hamas insisted for that reason, we weren't there, and for that reason, I insisted that we were there," he said.

Philadelphia Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8.69 miles) demilitarized buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, remains one of the main critical points in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Both Hamas and Egypt opposed the deployment of Israeli troops in Philadelphia Corridor, but PM Netanyahu insisted it was necessary to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.

"Significance and importance of Israel's control over Philadelphia is to ensure we don't experience October 7 again and October 7 again, as Hamas has promised to do," he said, quoted by The Times of Israel.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has repeatedly clashed with PM Netanyahu and other ministers, asked the cabinet to drop a decision to keep troops in Philadelphia Corridor, in order to reach an agreement to bring home more hostages.

When asked if he would fire his defense minister, Netanyahu said they could continue to work together "as long as there is trust".

Separately, opposition leader Yair Lapid called PM Netanyahu's comments in a press conference "baseless political loops" aimed at ensuring his own political continuity by calming his coalition partners Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who led two hardline parties rejecting any form of accommodation to reach an agreement.

"The Philadelphia corridor is not really disturbing him, but the Ben Gvir-Smotrich axis," said Lapid.