Israel to maintain military presence in Philadelphi Corridor, rejects withdrawal

Israel has decided not to pull its troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, the border zone between Gaza and Egypt. This follows expectations of a withdrawal contingent on a ceasefire extension. The Philadelphi Route aims to control illegal movements and materials.

Israel has decided to maintain its military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, according to CNN sources.

It was previously expected that the military would begin withdrawing from the corridor in early March if the current ceasefire, set to expire on Saturday, was extended.

A source shared a message sent by Israeli media on Thursday, February 27, with CNN.

"We will not exit the Philadelphi Corridor," the message stated. It also emphasised that "Israel will not allow Hamas to roam the border with trucks and rifles again."

The Philadelphi Corridor, also called Philadelphi Route, is the Israeli code name for a narrow strip of land situated along the entirety of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Following Israel's 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip, the Philadelphi Accord with Egypt was concluded, which authorised Egypt to deploy 750 border guards along the route to patrol the border on Egypt's side. The Palestinian side of the border was controlled by the Palestinian Authority until the 2007 takeover by Hamas. The joint authority for the Rafah Border Crossing was transferred to the Palestinian Authority and Egypt for restricted passage by Palestinian ID card holders, and by others by exception.

One purpose of the Philadelphi Route was to prevent the movement of illegal materials (including weapons and ammunition) and people between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.