IDF is preparing all options regarding Philadelphi Corridor, says Chief of Staff

The Israel Defence Forces are preparing all options regarding the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi announced on Wednesday. “We will be prepared for whatever the political echelon decides,” said Halevi.

He made his comment during a visit to one of the Philadelphi Corridor points near the city of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, to assess the situation there, accompanied by several other senior officers, said the occupation army.

The visit came on the eve of the expected resumption of negotiations in Qatar today regarding a proposed agreement to stop the war in Gaza, as well as a prisoner exchange deal. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US are expected to attend.

“It is important for the army to hold the Philadelphi Corridor, because it deals with the build-up of [Hamas] forces,” claimed Halevi. “If the political echelon decides that we’re staying in Philadelphi, we’ll be able to stay there and stay strong. If it decides that we must monitor [the area] and carry out raids whenever we have an indication [of unrest], we will know how to do it.”

In recent weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has added the condition to any ceasefire agreement that the occupation army must remain in the Philadelphi Corridor. He claims that Gaza has exploited the Egyptian border for years to “smuggle weapons” and “strengthen military capabilities.”

Cairo categorically rejects any presence of Israeli forces in the corridor and denies Israeli allegations about smuggling arms. Hamas insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor, as a basic condition for an agreement to stop the war and exchange prisoners.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, Halevi’s statements about the Philadelphi Corridor come after Israel held “secret discussions about it in recent days with mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the US.”

While the mediators have not issued any official statements in this regard, the authority reported that, “The discussions with the mediators regarding the Philadelphi Corridor included Israeli officials from the Mossad and Shin Bet, and focused on the security arrangements required for the day when the army is forced to withdraw from this corridor or reduce its forces there, which could happen through a deal with Hamas.”

It added that, “In Israel, they are demanding, in any case, the installation of technology along the corridor to monitor it, that the army be allowed to fly drones in the area, and that a certain distance be set that [the Palestinians] cannot approach on the border between Gaza and Egypt.”

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