People walk amidst the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. AP
On 6 May, the Israeli army launched an assault on Rafah, a southern city in the Gaza Strip, seizing control of the Philadelphi corridor and the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Israel was expected to withdraw from the corridor on Saturday, the final day of the initial 42-day phase of the ceasefire, which commenced on 19 January, and to complete the withdrawal within eight days as stipulated in the agreement.
"We will not withdraw from Philadelphi until the captives are fully returned, Hamas is removed, and Gaza is disarmed," Cohen told Israeli radio.
He claimed that Tel Aviv's demand to remain in the corridor is a "security necessity." He also alleged that maintaining control over the area is part of Israel's strategy to prevent future threats from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed to US media on Thursday that Israeli forces need to remain in the corridor under the pretext of preventing weapons smuggling.
However, on Wednesday, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted an official stating that no decision has been made.
The report cited an Israeli source saying that the decision to withdraw from the corridor depends on whether the first phase of the ceasefire is extended, as desired by Israel and the US.
Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the corridor could spark a crisis with Egypt, which is a key mediator between Tel Aviv and Hamas.
Egypt has repeatedly asserted its rejection of Israeli presence in the Philadelphi corridor and the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, urging an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the strip and unrestricted aid access for Gazans.
The 14-kilometre-long and 100-metre-wide Philadelphi corridor is a buffer zone on the Egypt-Gaza border guaranteed by Camp David, the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.
The corridor extends from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Karm Abu Salem border crossing in the south.
Egyptian security forces have patrolled the corridor after Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005.
Open-ended presence in Gaza
Israeli officials have informed Arab mediators that Israel aims to maintain an open-ended security presence in Gaza, establish buffer zones in the northern and eastern parts of the territory, and fully dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing Israeli sources.
The sources added that Israel told mediators it would not withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor.
The US Trump administration has expressed its intention to extend the first phase of the agreement. However, it also stressed its commitment to advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire and ending the war.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is touring the region this week to join the ceasefire negotiations.
The Israeli announcement comes after Hamas released the remains of four captives in exchange for over 600 Palestinian prisoners, the last planned swap of the ceasefire's first phase.
Hamas said Thursday it was ready to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the “only way” for Israel to secure the release of the remaining captives was through negotiations and adhering to the agreement.
Short link: