Netanyahu Prioritizes Strategic Control Over Hostage Deal, Escalating Tensions in the Region

A report by Amale Chehadeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

"At this very moment, if I were given the choice between the Philadelphi Corridor and maintaining control over it, or a hostage exchange deal, I would choose the Philadelphi Corridor." With this statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eliminated any doubt when addressing the so-called "Heroism Forum" for the families of the hostages.

It became clear to everyone, including Washington, that his stance rejects the deal and any concessions on the revised proposal for Israel.

Israeli officials interpreted Netanyahu's position as the "final nail in the coffin" of the hostage exchange deal. This was also evident during his talks with his country's negotiating delegation, which witnessed heated arguments and ended with Nitzan Alon, one of the delegation members, refusing to participate in the Cairo negotiations expected at the end of the week due to the delegation not being granted the necessary authority to advance the deal.

Netanyahu's stance that the Philadelphi Corridor, along with the Netzarim Corridor and even the Rafah crossing, represents a strategic asset that cannot be relinquished, angered the families of the hostages, who organized spontaneous protests.

Security and military officials accused Netanyahu not only of neglecting the hostages but also of causing their deaths.

Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot stated that Netanyahu had brought the deal to an end, leaving no room for any agreement that could bring back the hostages.

At the same time, an initial report was issued regarding the killing of six captives whose bodies Israel returned from one of the tunnels in Khan Younis. The report mentioned that the captives were killed as a result of the army blowing up the tunnel where Hamas was holding them, with a high likelihood that they died from suffocation.

Amid diminishing hope for reaching a deal and escalating tensions on the front with Hezbollah, Tel Aviv decided to shift the army's focus to this front and raised the security alert level.

Today, Israel and the region are caught between Netanyahu's intransigence and escalating tensions on one hand, and the hope that he might make concessions to save the deal, especially with the upcoming session in Cairo at the end of the week.