Tel Aviv, Sep 3 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that keeping the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed along the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border is a “strategic necessity” and essential for the country’s security.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement late Monday that the 14-km-long strip of land is essential for Israel to achieve its war objectives.
He said the Philadelphi Corridor is a major route for supplying weapons to Hamas. After the 2005 disengagement, Israel controlled all of Gaza’s borders except for one border with Egypt. It was through this border that weapons reached the Gaza Strip and were supplied to Hamas people.
Netanyahu said Israel must control the area to ensure weapons cannot be smuggled in.
Netanyahu also said Hamas would pay a heavy price for the alleged killing of six hostages in a Gaza tunnel over the weekend.
“Israel will not ignore this massacre. Hamas will pay a very heavy price for this,” Netanyahu said.
The IDF said on Sunday that the bodies of two women and four men were found on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.
According to the IDF, the hostages were murdered by Hamas militants 48–72 hours before the arrival of Israeli troops.
Meanwhile, Hamas clarified in a press statement that the bodies were found by the Israeli army in a tunnel in Rafah. They also said that they were killed in Israeli shelling.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis rallied across Israel on Sunday and Monday, demanding that Netanyahu negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas to ensure the return of hostages held in Gaza.
Let us tell you that Hamas suddenly attacked Israel on 7 October 2023. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and about 250 others were taken hostage. Since then, the Israeli army has been carrying out a large-scale attack against Hamas.
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