Netanyahu and Military Leaders Agree on Philadelphi Corridor Amidst Gaza Conflict Disputes

A report by Amale Chehadeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

Despite the disagreements between the army leadership and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the fighting in Gaza and the prisoner exchange deal, both agreed on the necessity of maintaining the Israeli presence in the Philadelphi Corridor.

In a situation assessment session, the army proposed forming a brigade called the Philadelphi Brigade, which would be deployed along the corridor. Its mission would be to ensure the prevention of smuggling and to detect tunnel-digging attempts. This would be accompanied by the construction of an underground barrier on the Egyptian side.

Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi considered the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah Crossing to be two crucial elements that should not be conceded. The army's demand contradicts efforts to reach an agreement on these two points.

The Israeli delegation is negotiating in Egypt regarding the fate of the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah after the war and the completion of the deal. It was revealed that a trilateral meeting was held in Tel Aviv, attended by US presidential envoy Brett McGurk, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein Al-Sheikh, and Palestinian Intelligence Chief Majid Faraj. They discussed ways to ensure the involvement of Palestinian Authority staff in managing the Rafah Crossing unofficially, a demand previously rejected by the Palestinian Authority.

Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, categorically rejects any official role for the Palestinian Authority at the crossing, a stance his opponents argue will, in addition to maintaining Israeli control over the crossing, bring ruin to Israel.
As Rafah Crossing occupies a prominent place in the talks, optimism for a near-term deal is waning, prompting the opposition, supported by the families of the prisoners, to intensify their pressure on Netanyahu to accept the deal and announce it during his visit to Washington early next week. This pressure will be manifested in protest demonstrations in Washington during the Prime Minister's visit.

Simultaneously, it was notable that the former Emirati ambassador to the United Nations proposed a plan to deploy an international force to meet the humanitarian needs of Gaza's residents and ensure law enforcement. This plan aims to pave the way for the unification of Gaza and the West Bank under a unified Palestinian authority, to be implemented upon an official Palestinian request.