The security cabinet voted 8-1 to retain IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor, in a step that some fear would foil negotiations in Doha to finalize a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
“The cabinet determined that the IDF would remain in the Philadelphia Corridor,” the sources said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant objected to the plan, given that it has been one of the stumbling blocks to closing a deal quickly.
Hamas has demanded that Israel withdraw from the critical buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that any deal must allow the IDF to remain in Philadelphi to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into Gaza under the border. He has believed that if Israel stands firm on this point, Hamas will cave, while others fear it could also cause Israel to lose the deal.
Cabinet ministers, according to sources close to the discussion, backed Netanyahu’s strategy with respect to the hostage talks. The only exception aside from Gallant who opposed the vote, was National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who abstained.
Standing firm on Philadelphi brings the possibility of a deal closer, ministers say
Cabinet ministers said that that standing firm on Philadelphi brings the possibility of a deal closer. According to sources, cabinet ministers said it was important to make it clear to Hamas that it would have to compromise on the Philadelphia Corridor, just as it compromised on its demand to end the war.
In so doing, the ministers pointed to the complex three-phase agreement US President Joe Biden unveiled on May 31, which focused on starting the first phase of the hostage deal without resolving issues of substantive disagreement, such as the Hamas demand for an Israeli pledge for a permanent ceasefire and a full IDF withdrawal.
Instead, there would be a temporary lull to the war during the first phase that includes the release of Palestinian security prisoners and terrorists from Israeli jails.
Israel has also agreed to pull the IDF in that period out of populated areas in Gaza, but it had not meant that to include the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors.
Israeli negotiators have provided the United States with an alternative proposal, set out in maps, which were now also approved by the cabinet on Thursday night, according to sources.
“The maps were drawn by the IDF and adopted by the United States as part of the plan for the return of the hostages,” sources said.
Netanyahu clarified during the discussion that the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on October 7 was possible only because Israel did not control the Philadelphi Corridor.
“A huge amount of weapons came through the Corridor, which were used by the terrorist organizations in Gaza,” the sources said
Netanyahu said that this situation can not repeat itself and that Israel is determined to control that border, according to sources.
The Prime Minister said that this time, Israel is determined to keep this border in its hands.
Security officials have said that Israel can afford to withdraw from the Corridor temporarily to allow a deal to take place and could deal with Philadelphi's future later. They have also said that alternative options were available.
According to sources, Netanyahu and ministers dismissed that claim. They recalled that security officials had said in 2005 that the IDF could safely leave Gaza. Security officials at the time had claimed that if rockets were launched against Israel in the aftermath of that withdrawal, then the IDF would know how to deal with it.
The IDF did not deal with the rocket threat, ministers said, adding that Hamas had launched rockets against Israel for close to two decades following Disengagement.
Similarly, Netanyahu and the ministers pointed to other security estimates that they said failed, such as the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and allowing terrorists to return to the West Bank under the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.
Cabinet ministers also pushed back at those who claimed that hostages were at risk of dying or being killed if a deal was not made quickly.
It was also stated at the cabinet that based on a professional estimate, most of the hostages who were killed or died in captivity met their death in the first half a year after the October 7 attack and not in the last few months, sources stressed.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum accused Netanyahu of trying to thwart the deal with the cabinet vote.
“After almost a year of neglect, Netanyahu does not miss any opportunity to ensure that there will be no deal.” It said.
“There is not a day when Netanyahu does not act in a real way to endanger the return of all the hostages,” it added.
It recalled how the IDF had delayed any operation in southern Gaza, including at the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing.
“What will happen if we withdraw from the Corridor for a fixed period to allow for the deal to be finalized?* it asked.
“The IDF has approved the demolition of eighty percent of the Hamas tunnels in Rafah,” the forum explained.
Israel has also been offered a viable option for Philadelphi, it stated.
“The Americans and the Egyptians are giving guarantees that were not there before,” it said, such as the construction of an underground barrier.
The US and Egypt would also accept an IDF presence at Rafah as long as there is also a symbolic representation at that border from the Palestinian Authority, the forum added.
Netanyahu and his ministers are ready to abandon the captives rather than accept this option, it charged.
This week, Doha hosted high-level and low-level talks to secure a deal, starting on Sunday with a summit led by CIA Director William Burns with attendance of an Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and IDF Maj.-Gen. (Res). Alon Nitzan.
It was replaced by a lower-level Israeli delegation that remained, many of whom have returned to Israel for the weekend as negotiators await responses from Hamas after working with mediators to bridge the gaps in the deal.
Qatar and Egypt, with the help of the US, have been the main mediators for the agreement.