Netanyahu pledges to withdraw Israeli army a kilometer from Philadelphi Corridor: Report

ANKARA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to US President Joe Biden that the Israeli army will withdraw one kilometer from the 14-kilometer-long Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border while leaving a minimal number of military sites in the area.

The pledge comes as part of ongoing discussions between Israel and the US regarding the military offensive on the Gaza Strip and the broader implications for regional security, reports Israel's Channel 12.

The broadcaster claimed that Egypt has agreed to provide Hamas with updated maps of Israeli army positions in the Philadelphi Corridor, although Cairo has made no official statement on the matter.

According to the channel, during a phone call with Biden on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu agreed to two specific conditions in response to US pressure.

Netanyahu has consented to evacuate one kilometer of the Philadelphi Corridor and minimize the number of military sites in the area.

The report did not specify when the withdrawal would take place or how many military sites would remain.

According to the report, Netanyahu promised not to jeopardize the agreement with Hamas if the movement agreed to keep Israeli forces in the Philadelphi Corridor.

He also accepted a US proposal to prevent the movement of armed groups and weapons through the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza, and to forego demands for checkpoints or military sites under Israeli control in this area, the media outlet claimed.

The channel did not go into detail about the US's proposed solution for the Netzarim Corridor.

On Wednesday, the Israeli website Walla reported that, at Netanyahu's order, Israeli negotiators provided Egypt and the US with maps showing a continued Israeli military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor as part of the first phase of the agreement, albeit on a smaller scale. This proposal was reportedly rejected by Egypt.

Hamas has not yet commented on Netanyahu's new proposal regarding the Philadelphi Corridor.

The proposal comes as a Hamas delegation is scheduled to arrive in Cairo later Saturday to review the progress of cease-fire talks.

The Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer (8.69-mile) demilitarized buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, remains one of the major sticking points in Israel-Hamas negotiations.

Neither the Israeli government nor the US administration has issued an official statement on the reported pledge.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi