“They just want us to leave Gaza so they can take it back and do what they promised.”said Netanyahu, who fears for Israel’s security if its troops leave the Palestinian enclave, or at least key points such as the Philadelphi Corridor on the border with Egypt.

Control this corridor, he explained. “prevents Gaza from becoming an Iranian terrorist enclave again” and that Hamas militants could take the hostages they still hold to the Sinai Peninsula and then “disappear,” possibly “forever.”

“So if you want to free the hostages and ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel, you must preserve the Philadelphi Corridor.“And that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said the Israeli prime minister, who insisted his government was “working hard” to return those still abducted.

Europe Press