The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted informed officials as saying that members of the security cabinet approved maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor (the border strip between Egypt and Gaza) as part of a possible deal.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant opposed the decision to take control of the axis, and eight council members supported it, officials said.
The newspaper added that ministers in the inner council said, during a meeting, that maintaining control over the axis contributes to the possibility of reaching a swap deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said during the meeting that the reason for the October 7 attack was that Israel did not control the Philadelphi corridor at the time.
The newspaper reported that according to estimates presented to the security cabinet, most of the Israeli detainees killed lost their lives in the first half of the war.
Israel insists on maintaining its military control over Philadelphi and Netzarim, while the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) insists on the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, as part of any agreement to stop the war and exchange prisoners.
reach a deal
In a related context, the newspaper “Israel Hayom” reported that the Israeli security establishment realizes that time is short, and a deal must be reached to rescue dozens of living detainees in Gaza.
She added that the security establishment believes that it is possible to withdraw from the Philadelphi axis during the first phase of the deal, in order to begin releasing detainees.
Israeli media quoted officials as saying that Netanyahu politicized the Philadelphi Corridor file in a way that makes it difficult to solve it behind closed doors.
In recent weeks, Israeli sources have said that Netanyahu’s demand for an army presence on the Philadelphi corridor and the imposition of a mechanism on the movement of Palestinians between the southern and northern Gaza Strip complicates the chances of reaching an agreement.
For months, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, while the United States supports these efforts through contacts and meetings with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials.
With American support, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in more than 134,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing.