Advertisement“There are several ways in which to do this and we are examining these,” he said. “The Philadelphi Corridor has to be in our hands, it has to be closed,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already emphasized at a news briefing weeks ago, following the October 7th invasion of southern Israel by Hamas. The Philadelphi Corridor is a narrow 15-kilometer buffer zone located between Israel and Egypt that was established in early 1982 with the transfer of the Sinai Peninsula from Israeli to Egyptian control. IDF control over the border would restore Israel’s ability to prevent that smuggling and ensure the security of its population. It would also restrict Gaza’s connection to Egypt and the rest of the Arab world by requiring Israeli permission to use the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 13, 2024 20:28 UTC