JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.    

“If we withdraw, we won’t [be able to] return there — not for 42 days and not for 42 years,” he said during a cabinet meeting as cited by Israeli Channel 12.   

The premier was referring to the first 42-day phase of a proposed Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal with Hamas.   

Netanyahu claimed that the Philadelphi Corridor, a demilitarized area on the border between Gaza and Egypt, is a “lifeline” for Hamas.  

“We have to stay on the Philadelphia Corridor, it is essential for Israel’s security,” he said.  

“In addition, if we leave it will be difficult for us to return. This is a critical time in the war to maintain the corridor, without which we will not be able to fulfill the goals of the war.”  

US President Joe Biden said early Monday that he did not think Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a hostage deal with Hamas. 

Netanyahu’s hardline position on the corridor is seen by opposition leaders and families of Israeli hostages in Gaza as hindering efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.  

For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a 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’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 40,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 94,200 others, according to local health authorities.

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

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar