Ex “Israeli” General Refutes ’Outright Lies’ about Philadelphi Corridor

By Staff, Agencies

The former “Israeli” military general stated that Netanyahu is keeping “Israeli” forces in the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent the conclusion of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.

Former “Israeli” military general warned that failure to secure release of captives in Gaza due to Philadelphi Corridor could lead to deaths and regional war.

The Corridor, spanning from the "Israeli"-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing to the southernmost point on the Gaza Strip's coast, connects the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestinian territories.

The 14 km Philadelphia Route, serving as a buffer zone between "Israel" and Egypt, was controlled by "Israeli" forces until its liberation in 2005.

In an article published in the “Israeli” newspaper “Maariv,” Brik criticized Netanyahu, Halevi, and Gallant for misleading the public on the need for a military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor.

Brik revealed that, just days before the “Israeli” military launched its incursion in Gaza, he met with Netanyahu face-to-face and asked whether the military was planning to dig a canal to block the tunnels, to which Netanyahu claimed that it was "impossible for various reasons."

He added, “Netanyahu acknowledged that the “Israeli” military's solution to the Philadelphi Corridor issue is to block Hamas' tunnels beneath it, and positioned "Israeli" forces there is futile.”

Brik emphasized that despite this understanding, Netanyahu continues to impose the non-negotiable condition of maintaining “Israeli” forces in the Philadelphi Corridor.

The speaker suggested that if the “Israeli” Chief of Staff truly believed in the importance of holding the Philadelphi Corridor, he would have made a decisive statement.

He also dismissed the claims of the Chief of Staff and the military spokesperson regarding the nearly one thousand Hamas fighters killed in the Rafah battles, describing these statements as "outright lies".

In the same context, Brik emphasized the ineffectiveness of retaining “Israeli” forces in the Netzarim Corridor and the inability to fully resolve the Hamas tunnel issue.

He concluded by saying that Netanyahu, with this maneuver, is sabotaging the Doha talks and putting the lives of the “Israeli” captives and "Israel" at risk.