Egypt Daily News – After hinting at its refusal to withdraw from the strategic Philadelphi Corridor (Salah al-Din Axis) along the Gaza-Egypt border, as stipulated in the Gaza ceasefire agreement, a new development has emerged. Israeli tanks fired heavily along the corridor today, Saturday, according to sources.
“To Prevent Weapons Smuggling”
An Israeli official stated two days ago that Israeli forces need to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, “to prevent weapons smuggling,” according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed during a meeting with local leaders that he had seen tunnels crossing the border during a recent visit to the corridor. However, he did not provide any evidence or clarification regarding Israel’s plans.
Egypt had previously confirmed that it destroyed smuggling tunnels on its side years ago and established a military buffer zone to prevent smuggling.
Meanwhile, Hamas emphasized that any Israeli attempt to retain a buffer zone in the corridor would be a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement. The movement added that adhering to the agreement is the only way to ensure the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza.
March 9 Deadline
While Cairo has avoided officially commenting on Israel’s threats not to withdraw from the border corridor with Gaza, a well-informed source confirmed that “a clause in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas stipulates that Israeli forces must complete their withdrawal from the corridor on the 50th day of the truce,” which falls on March 9.
This comes as Israel was expected to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor today—the final day of the first phase of the Gaza agreement and complete the process within eight days.
