Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel must keep open-ended control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, digging in on his stance on an issue that has threatened to derail ceasefire efforts.
The question of Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt, seized by troops in May – has become a central obstacle in the latest negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release.
Hamas has demanded an eventual full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the multi-phase truce deal.
Egypt, a mediator in the talks along with the US and Qatar, has also demanded a concrete timeline for Israeli troops to leave the Philadelphi corridor.
In a press conference on Monday, Mr Netanyahu repeated his stance that Israel must maintain its hold on the border to prevent Hamas from rearming by smuggling weapons into Gaza.
“Gaza must be demilitarised, and this can only happen if the Philadelphi corridor remains under firm control,” he said, claiming Israeli troops had discovered dozens of tunnels under the border.
He said Israel would consider withdrawing from the corridor only when presented with an alternative force to police it.
Earlier, a group representing families of the hostages held in Gaza demanded Wednesday that Mr Netanyahu stop wearing a yellow pin, a global symbol of solidarity with the hostages.
“Stop creating a false impression of support and of striving to bring back the hostages when in reality you are doing everything to torpedo the deal,” the group, the Hostages and Missing Families forum, said in a statement.
The demand comes as protests rock Israel over the recent recovery of six hostages from Gaza, whom the military says were shot by their Hamas captors as Israeli forces closed in on the tunnel in which they were held.
The news has escalated calls for Mr Netanyahu to immediately agree to a deal that would free some of the hostages remaining in the strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a pause in combat.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent days, calling for a deal and saying time is running out to bring home the hostages alive.
Mr Netanyahu pushed back against the pressure, saying his stance was necessary to “ensure Hamas doesn’t pose a threat to Israel”.
“I can understand the torment of families,” he said. “But the responsibility of leaders is not merely to share the sentiment, the emotion, but also to exercise judgment.”
Asked by journalists for a timeline on ending the war, he refused to give one. “How long can we do this? As long as it takes to achieve this victory. And I think we’re getting a lot closer,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon killed a woman and wounded two others, including a 12-year-old child, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
The ministry did not disclose details about the second person wounded in the southeastern town of Qabrikha.
The Health Ministry also said two people in Khiam and three others in Houla were wounded following Israeli attacks over the southern towns.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah also announced six rocket and artillery attacks on military positions in northern Israel.
