Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea urged the Israeli military to withdraw from the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors in the Gaza Strip as part of a prisoner swap deal, saying its presence there is “not operationally necessary”.
According to Israel Hayom, Barnea conveyed his remarks during a private assembly with the relatives of Israeli prisoners on Friday, providing them with an update on the progress of the ceasefire negotiations.
He noted that the dispute over the Netzarim Corridor, which traverses central Gaza, remains a significant obstacle to the agreement. Israeli negotiators have demanded that Palestinians returning to northern Gaza undergo vetting at this corridor.
In contrast, Hamas has maintained that Israel must fully withdraw from the enclave, including both the Netzarim and Philadelphi areas.
On Thursday, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan for its forces to maintain a military presence in the corridors despite fierce resistance from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and prisoners’ families.
“We have to choose between Philadelphi and the hostages. We can’t have both. If we vote, we might find out that either the hostages will die or we will have to backtrack to release them,” Gallant told Netanyahu and the other cabinet ministers.
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