Netanyahu pledges to withdraw Israeli army a kilometer from Philadelphi Corridor: Report

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to US President Joe Biden that the Israeli army will withdraw one kilometer from the 14-kilometer-long Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border while leaving a minimal number of military sites in the area.

The pledge comes as part of ongoing discussions between Israel and the US regarding the military offensive on the Gaza Strip and the broader implications for regional security, reports Israel's Channel 12.

The report did not specify when the withdrawal would take place or how many military sites would remain.

The Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) demilitarized buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, remains one of the major sticking points in Israel-Hamas negotiations.

Neither the Israeli government nor the US administration has issued an official statement on the reported pledge.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi