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Israel will not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor—a buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border—on the 42nd day of the hostage deal, despite the agreement brokered by Qatar and Egypt stipulating that the IDF would begin pulling out, an Israeli official said Thursday.
“We will not allow Hamas terrorists to once again roam our borders with trucks and rifles, nor will we let them rearm through smuggling,” the official stated.
The announcement came as the first phase of the agreement was completed, with the release of 33 hostages—including eight who were returned deceased. Fifty-nine hostages remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza after 510 days.
On Thursday morning, Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanua said the group was willing to extend the first phase of the deal or merge it with the second phase, “in accordance with our red lines.” He specified that these conditions included a full Israeli withdrawal, an end to the war and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
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With the return of the four deceased hostages to Israel, the first phase of the deal has officially concluded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to hold consultations Thursday on the next steps and discuss whether to send a negotiating delegation for the second phase of talks.
Netanyahu previously committed that if a delegation were dispatched, the Cabinet would first hold a debate on its mandate, but such a discussion has yet to take place. Instead, deliberations have shifted to Hamas’ alleged violations of the agreement, which Netanyahu cited in his decision to halt the release of additional Palestinian prisoners.
It remains unclear when and where negotiations for the second phase will begin, though estimates suggest they may take place next week in Cairo or Doha. U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to visit the region early next week, including a stop in Israel, with expectations that his visit will help jumpstart discussions on the next stage of the deal.
The IDF was initially expected to begin its withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor on Saturday, with a full exit completed by March 9. However, the Israeli official’s remarks confirm that the pullout will not happen.
Throughout the first phase of the agreement, the Philadelphi Corridor—considered a key element of the deal—was a subject of extensive debate. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had listed Israel’s presence there as one of his “red lines” for Netanyahu, threatening to collapse the government in the case of an Israeli withdrawal from the 8.7-mile stretch of land.
Some analysts had suspected Israel never intended to withdraw and that the move was tied to the second phase of the deal, which remains highly uncertain. A security official acknowledged Wednesday that the Philadelphi Corridor was a “complex issue” and that “there is significant uncertainty surrounding the expected withdrawal.”
The most immediate consequence of Israel remaining in the corridor is that negotiations for the second phase of the hostage release deal are unlikely to progress.