Romana Rubeo
The Palestine Chronicle / August 30, 2024
According to the report, the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza slammed the decision, stating that Netanyahu “doesn’t miss an opportunity to guarantee there won’t be a deal”.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday, citing informed officials, that Israel’s security cabinet approved maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor, along the border between Egypt and Gaza, as part of a potential deal.
According to the officials, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant opposed the decision, while eight council members supported it.
“Eight members of the security cabinet voted in favor, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant voted against and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir abstained,” the report stated.
Haaretz reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, during the meeting, that the reason for the October 7 attack was Israel’s lack of control over the Philadelphi Corridor at the time, “which allowed for weapons to be smuggled” to Gaza.
According to the report, the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza slammed the decision, stating that Netanyahu “doesn’t miss an opportunity to guarantee there won’t be a deal.”
Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement, was cited by Al-Jazeera as saying that the Israeli cabinet’s decision to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor indicates a rejection of a ceasefire and withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Israeli daily Israel Hayom reported that the Israeli security establishment recognizes the urgency of reaching a deal to rescue dozens of living detainees in Gaza.
The security officials reportedly suggested that withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor during the first phase of the deal might be necessary to initiate the release of captives.
What is the Philadelphi Corridor ?
The Philadelphi Corridor is a narrow strip of land, long 14 kilometers, located along the border between southern Gaza and Egypt.
In the past, the corridor was under the control of Israeli forces, which patrolled it under the provisions of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979.
Israel was allowed to control the corridor even after the Oslo Accords of 1993.
Only in 2005, when Israeli troops redeployed from the Gaza Strip, Egypt and Israel concluded the Philadelphi Accord.
Then, Egypt was committed to deploying 750 border guards along the route to patrol the border on the Egyptian side, while the Palestinian side remained under the control of the Palestinians.
Israel aims to completely isolate the already besieged Gaza Strip from the rest of the world.
The Rafah crossing, which is located along the border with Egypt, is the only crossing that is not directly controlled by Israel.
Gazans are not allowed to use other crossings to enter or exit the besieged Strip.
Ongoing genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,602 Palestinians have been killed, and 93,855 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant
Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle
