Affirms Israel Will Not Leave Philadelphia Corridor, PM Netanyahu: Someone Should Be There

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Source: Noam Moscowitz/Knesset Spokesperson)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday Israel would only agree a permanent ceasefire in Gaza that guarantees the border area between southern Gaza and Egypt would never be used as a rescue route for the Hamas Islamist movement.

"Until that happens, we will remain there," he said at a news conference in Jerusalem.

PM Netanyahu repeated his immediate rejection of the so-called Philadelphia corridor in the first phase of the deal, which is expected to last for 42 days, saying international pressure would make it effectively impossible for the corridor to return.

According to him, in order for a permanent ceasefire to be approved thereafter, Israel needs assurances that whoever leads postwar Gaza will be able to prevent the corridor from being used as a route for smuggling weapons and equipment for Hamas.

"Someone has to be there," he said.

"Get me anyone who can really show - not on paper, not in words, not on slides - but day after day, week after week, month after month, that they can really prevent a repeat of what happened there before," Prime Minister Netanyahu said, referring to Hamas' attack on October 7 against Israel.

"We are open to considering it, but I don't see it happening right now," he said.

The Philadelphia Corridor, along the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt, has become one of the main obstacles to the deal to stop fighting in Gaza and bring home Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

PM Netanyahu insisted on maintaining control of the corridor, where Israeli forces had found dozens of tunnels that officials said had been used to supply Hamas weapons and ammunition.

The prime minister has faced strong criticism from many in Israel for not discussing the matter, including from many in his own security agency who believe Israeli forces can intervene as targeted if necessary to prevent any smuggling.

The families of many hostages, including some of the six hostages whose bodies were found from a tunnel in southern Gaza on Sunday, accused him of sacrificing their loved ones by insisting on defending troops in the corridor.

However, he said maintaining pressure on Hamas was the best way to repatriate the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza.

"You need to pressure them, put pressure on them to free the remaining hostages. So, if you want to free the hostages, you have to control Philadelphia corridor," he said.