The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is thwarting an agreement to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners by insisting on remaining in the Philadelphi border axis between the Strip and Egypt.
The movement said in a statement on Wednesday evening that there is no need for new proposals for a ceasefire, and that what is required now is to pressure Netanyahu and his government and oblige them to what was agreed upon during previous negotiations; in reference to news circulating in American media about Washington preparing a new proposal for a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.
She stressed that Netanyahu’s decision not to withdraw from the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) axis aims to thwart reaching an agreement to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners.
The movement also warned against falling into Netanyahu’s trap and tricks, as he uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against the Palestinian people.
Hold on to the Philadelphia axis
In two press conferences on Monday and Wednesday, Netanyahu stressed that he would not withdraw his army from the Philadelphi corridor on Gaza’s border with Egypt, reiterating his allegations that weapons had previously passed through this corridor to Hamas.
Tel Aviv’s continued presence in this axis is one of the most important reasons hindering the achievement of an agreement between Israel and Hamas to stop the war in Gaza and exchange prisoners, as the Palestinian movement and Egypt reject this.
For months, Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been leading indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but they have not resulted in an agreement because Israel has rejected Hamas’s demand to end the war, withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip and return displaced Palestinians to the north of the Strip.
With American support, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 135,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and deadly famine.
In contempt of the international community, Israel continues this war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolution to stop it immediately, and the International Court of Justice’s orders to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.