Philadelphi Corridor remains sticking point in Gaza cease-fire talks: Report

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Philadelphi Corridor remains a sticking point in Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Israeli media said on Sunday.

The corridor is a 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) demilitarized buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

According to the Israeli news portal Walla, Israel wants to maintain control over the corridor, while Hamas demands a full Israeli withdrawal from the area.

"Israel is prepared to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor for a maximum of six weeks to allow the release of the hostages,” the broadcaster said.

The news portal, citing security sources, said that Israel wants to remain in the area until destroying Hamas’ underground tunnels there.

“Israel will not leave Gaza until all hostages are released,” Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Army Radio on Sunday.

"It is clear to everyone that Israel will have security control over the strip, which means the ability to come and carry out an operation at any time and any place."

Cease-fire talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, concluded on Friday by presenting "a proposal that narrows the gaps" between Israel and Hamas that is consistent with the principles set out by US President Joe Biden on May 31.

Biden said in May that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange and the reconstruction of Gaza.

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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

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

The Israeli onslaught has since killed nearly 40,100 victims, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,600, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi