Israel has made it clear that its forces will not withdraw from Gaza, citing two main reasons: national security and the safe return of hostages still held by Hamas.
Concerns are growing that Hamas may attempt to smuggle some of the remaining 97 Israeli hostages into the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, a known haven for Islamic militant groups, and from there, potentially to Yemen or Iran.
According to Netanyahu, maintaining control of the Philadelphi Route, a security corridor between Gaza and Egypt, is the best way to prevent Hamas from smuggling hostages.
“Hol[d] the Philadelphi corridor, because that possesses Hamas, that prevents them from rearming,” Netanhyu told Fox and Friends’ Brian Kilmeade. “It prevents Gaza from becoming this Iranian terror enclave again, which can threaten our existence.
“But it’s also the way to prevent them from smuggling hostages . . . into Egypt, into the Sinai, where they could disappear,” he added. “Then they’ll end up in Iran or in Yemen, and they’re lost forever.”
The prime minister’s statements echoed a report that claimed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was plotting to smuggle himself, other Hamas leaders, and some of the remaining Israeli hostages out of Gaza through the Philadelphi corridor before heading to Iran.
The report cited Israeli intelligence sources, although other Israeli news outlets Thursday, and Digital could not independently verify the intelligence.
In his remarks to , Netanyahu did not elaborate on the leverage Hamas could gain by smuggling the hostages out of Gaza, but securing the hostages’ release has become a central issue in the ceasefire negotiations.
Following the who had been held prisoner by Hamas since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, and who were found in the tunnels mined by the terrorist organization last month, Netanyahu has intensified his opposition to U.S. efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement.
Three of the hostages killed were reportedly supposed to be under a cease-fire deal proposed in July, but which never came to fruition.
“We’re doing everything we can to get the remainder [out],” Netanhyu said. “But Hamas consistently refuses to make a deal.”
Details of the ceasefire agreement proposed by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have been kept confidential for months, and reports for weeks have suggested that the most , but rebuffed by Hamas, was down to Jerusalem’s refusal to vacate the Philadelphi Route.
“It’s just a direct falsehood,” he said, noting that it is about more than just holding onto the corridor.
“What we have to do is to make sure that we do two things,” Netanyahu said. “One, get the hostages out. And second, keep the red lines that are necessary for Israel’s security and survival.
“I think both of them go through holding the Philadelphi corridor,” he added.
Despite Netanyahu’s strong opposition to relinquishing control of the strategic route and Hamas’ apparent refusal to release more hostages until Israel ends its operations in Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that negotiations were making significant progress.
“I think based on what I’ve seen, 90 percent is agreed, but there are a few critical issues that remain where we need to be able to get agreement,” he told reporters. “Much of this has been discussed in recent days, including the Philadelphi corridor, including some of the exact specifics of how hostages and prisoners are exchanged.
“So that remains, but pretty much everything else is there,” he added.
Blinken said he expects in the “coming days” that an updated deal will be shared by Egypt and Qatar with Hamas and by the U.S. with Israel in an attempt to solidify a cease-fire agreement.
“Then it will be time really for the parties to decide yes or no, and then we’ll see,” he added.