While the first phase of the ceased the fire between Israel and Hamas runs out this weekend, the future of the truce remains dark. What happens in a key strip of land along the border between Egypt and Gaza in the next week could provide an indication of how things will go on.
Israel should begin to collect the troops on Sunday from the border area, known as the Philadelphi corridor, and leave it completely by the following weekend. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, has long stated that Israeli control there is a national interest of basic security, injecting uncertainty on this passage.
What is Philadelphi’s corridor?
A strip of eight miles that divides Gaza from Egypt, the corridor of Philadelphi has emerged as an important critical point in the interviews of ceased the fire between Israel and Hamas. The border, which divides the city of Rafah, was established under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.
After Hamas seized Gaza’s full control in 2007, his fighters and officials supervised the Encyclist’s border with Egypt and Rafah Crossing, the only external exit from the outside world not directly supervised by Israel.
Israeli officials claimed that Hamas has hidden weapons and material for its fighters on the other side of the Egyptian border. In September, Mr. Netanyahu defined the corridor of Filadelfi “Hamas oxygen valve”.
In May, Israeli troops advanced along the corridor as part of the military assault on Rafah. For months later, Netanyahu claimed that leaving the area would endanger Israeli safety allowing Hamas to re -enter.
But at the same time, Mr. Netanyahu has committed himself to withdrawing from the border area as part of the fire.
What should happen this week?
Israeli negotiators are in Cairo for meetings with Egyptian mediators and Qatar to discuss the next steps of the truce. Hamas officials visited the Egyptian capital last week for their resolutions.
According to the cessation of the fire in three parts between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli forces will begin to withdraw from the corridor of Filadelphi to six weeks in the respite, coinciding with the end of the first phase of the agreement. It would be Saturday.
The two sides concluded the final swaps hostage for prisoners in the first phase of Thursday’s agreement. They still have to negotiate the next steps, which would include a permanent end of the Israel war against Hamas in Gaza and a full retreat of Israeli forces from the territory.
Israel should leave the corridor by the end of next week, according to the fire of the fire. The void could be filled by Hamas, who reaffirmed his power in Gaza since the truce entered into force in mid -January.
Will Israel actually retire?
Israel agreed to leave the border area within the 50th day of the truce, which would be at the beginning of March. Refusing to respect this commitment would be seen as a great violation and add even more uncertainty to the already precarious truce.
But if the withdrawal proceeds on the scheduled times, this could add impetus to the efforts of the mediators to guarantee the next steps in the ceased the fire.
Both Israel and Hamas have reasons to avoid another lap of fighting, at least for now. Hamas wants to give his strength the opportunity to recover, while Israel wants to bring home the remaining hostages.
But the prospect of a global agreement between Israel and Hamas still seems remote.
Israel conditioned a global agreement at the end of the control of Hamas in Gaza and the demilitarization of the Enclave, both of whom Hamas has widely rejected. Israel leaders promised to destroy Hamas in response to the mortal 7 October 2023, attacks Southern Israel, but they were unable to eliminate the group in Gaza despite 15 months of incessant fights that devastated the territory and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.