Speaking with reporters during a rare press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu insisted that the 14-kilometer (8.7 miles) strip of land is essential for Israel to achieve its war aims.
Were the IDF to withdraw even for the 42-day first phase of a deal, in an effort to secure the release of numerous living hostages, it would never be able to return, he claimed, and thus Hamas would be able to rearm, revive, and carry out many more October 7 massacres.
He rejected the assertion that the six hostages murdered by Hamas in Gaza last week were killed because his terms had prevented a deal. “We didn’t manage to extricate them. We were very close. It’s terrible,” he said. “But it didn’t happen because of that decision [on the Philadelphi Corridor.] It happened, first, because they (Hamas) don’t want a deal,” he said. “I look for every means… to get them home,” he said of the hostages.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid castigated his comments as baseless political spin designed to keep his coalition together. Lapid noted that Netanyahu had years to retake Philadelphi and didn’t bother, and only sent the IDF to do so eight months into the current war. READ MORE
