Israel claims ‘operational control’ over Philadelphi Corridor on Gaza-Egypt border

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army claimed Wednesday to have gained full “operational control” over the Philadelphi Corridor, a demilitarized buffer zone running along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

The army said its forces are located in most of the corridor, except for a small section near the coast and Tel al-Sultan in western Rafah.

It claimed that this small section is controlled with surveillance and firepower.

There was no immediate Egyptian comment on the Israeli claim by the time of publishing this report.

The Philadelphi Corridor -- 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) in length -- is a demilitarized buffer zone running along the Gaza-Egypt border, as stipulated by the 1979 peace agreement between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

Before the launch of the Israeli military operation against Rafah on May 6, the city was home to over 1.5 million displaced Palestinians who fled their areas across the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli onslaught that started on Oct. 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,170 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 81,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala