Israel will not withdraw from Philadelphi corridor as stipulated in ceasefire
Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor -- the border separating Egypt and Gaza -- as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, an Israeli official confirmed to ABC News.
"We will not allow Hamas murderers to once again roam our borders with pickup trucks and guns, and we will not allow them to rebuild strength from smuggling," an Israeli official said in a statement.
Delegations from Israel and Qatar arrived in Cairo on Thursday for negotiations on the Gaza ceasefire deal. The talks, mediated by Egyptian officials, will also be attended by U.S. representatives.
The Philadelphi corridor was one of the main sticking points in negotiations between Israel and Hamas for months before the current ceasefire deal was reached. This refusal could lead to a crisis with both Hamas and Egypt, the key mediator, at a delicate time for the already fragile truce.
Israel was supposed to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor -- and the entire Gaza Strip -- on Saturday, the last day of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Israel was to complete its withdrawal from the corridor within eight days.
Management of the corridor is a red line for Hamas, which had refused to accept ceasefire proposals that did not require Israel to withdraw its troops from the border region.
Israeli officials have said in recent months that they believed the Israeli army had to stay in the Philadelphi corridor to prevent weapons being smuggled through the Egyptian border, back into Gaza, though Israel has destroyed tunnels in that area.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a meeting with local leaders that he had seen tunnels penetrating the border on a recent visit to the corridor.
Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant had publicly opposed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence that Israel must remain in the corridor -- and in the Netzarim corridor, which divides north and south Gaza -- to maintain its security and achieve its military goals and maintain its security.
In August, then-Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said holding on to any part of Gaza or the Philadelphi corridor are conditions Israel should not use as an excuse to break a potential deal with Hamas. The Israeli army can deal with both being out of Gaza and giving up control of Philadelphi, according to Halevi.
The first phase of the ceasefire ends on Saturday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
