JERUSALEM 

The Israeli army has not discovered any operational underground tunnel under the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border, an Israeli military analyst said. 

"No single open tunnel has been found in the Egyptian territory. No single usable tunnel has been discovered under the Philadelphi Corridor,” Alon Ben-David told Israeli Channel 13.

The corridor, a demilitarized area along Egypt’s border with Gaza, has been a sticking point in Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on maintaining a military presence on the axis, claiming that the corridor is a “lifeline” for Hamas to rearm.

Egypt rejects any Israeli military presence on the corridor and has denounced Netanyahu’s claims about weapons smuggling into Gaza through its territory.

"Around 80% of weapons are self-produced in Gaza,” Ben-David said, calling Netanyahu’s claims about weapons smuggling through the corridor “inaccurate.”

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israeli military withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor poses no security problem to Israel.

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 has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 40,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed and nearly 94,300 others injured, 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 in Ankara