JERUSALEM

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Saturday called for a deal with Hamas to bring back Israeli captives from Gaza and end the ongoing conflict.

"Strike a deal, end the war, fix the country," Lapid, the leader of the Yesh Atid party, said in a brief post on X.

Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that claimed 1,200 lives and around 250 others were taken as hostages. The military campaign has displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million people, and led to famine-like conditions and spread of disease.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his military must retain control over Gaza’s southern border area with Egypt – known as the Philadelphi Corridor – a position that threatens to derail cease-fire efforts.

Critics say Netanyahu is blocking the deal out of fear that his government might collapse.

Mickey Levy, a Knesset member from Lapid's party, told Israeli public radio on Saturday: "Until May, the Philadelphi Corridor wasn't even on the table."

“The fear of the government collapsing and fear of (far-right National Security Minister Itamar) Ben Gvir and (far-right Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich, who have Netanyahu by the throat, is what led to this situation,” he added.

Levy warned that remaining in control of the Philadelphi Corridor could lead to the needless deaths of many Israeli soldiers.

A poll released by Israel's Channel 12 on Friday night revealed that 60% of Israelis believe that securing a deal to bring back hostages from Gaza is more important than holding onto the Philadelphi Corridor.

Egypt, a mediator in the cease-fire talks along with the US and Qatar, has also demanded a timeline for Israel’s withdrawal from the corridor.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi