Philadelphi corridor is not an existential threat, Gantz and Eisenkot say

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim on Monday, that the IDF presence along the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border is imperative to Israel’s national security, is incorrect and an excuse to avoid a hostage deal due to pressure from his far-right partners, National Unity MKs Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot said in a press conference at Kfar Hamaccabiah on Tuesday.

The press conference came as a rebuttal of Netanyahu’s claim in a press conference of his own just 24 hours before, that Philadelphi was necessary in order to prevent Hamas rearmament, since the Gaza-Egypt border has for the past 20 years been the main corridor through which arms have been smuggled into Gaza by way of tunnels.

Netanyahu’s press conference included a map of Israel and Gaza with the Philadelphi Corridor marked out. In its place, Gantz presented a map of the entire Middle East, and argued that the real strategic threat was Iran, and the Philadelphi Corridor was a tactical issue that the IDF had sufficient answers for, including an underground barrier to block all tunnels.

Collapse in talks

Netanyahu argued that if Israel retreated from the Strip, international pressure would not allow it to be recaptured. Gantz responded to this by saying that “if Netanyahu is not strong enough to withstand the public pressure in order to return to Philadelphi – he should resign.”

Both Gantz and Eisenkot were members of the government and of the inner circle running the war, called the “war cabinet,” until June, when they resigned due to what they viewed as the intrusion of political considerations in national security decisions.

Eisenkot mentioned a number of specific instances, including the end of the first hostage deal in November after National Security Minister Ben-Gvir threatened to quit the government, and a sudden change in the mandate given to the hostage negotiation team in May after a meeting between Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as instances where the prime minister made decisions based on political considerations. Even when Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were not present, their “shadow” was felt in the room, Eisenkot said.

Another example of Netanyahu’s concern over his coalition’s survival came in late May. According to Eisenkot, the prime minister made his own proposal for a hostage deal, which was then presented by US President Joe Biden, but then he refused to present it to the National Security Cabinet.

The deal included a heavy price, including a retreat from the Gaza Strip and a prolonged ceasefire. But then the prime minister feared the political consequences if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, both members of the cabinet, were exposed to it. Until this day, Eisenkot said, it was unclear if the cabinet had seen the full proposal that Netanyahu himself proposed.

Both Gantz and Eisenkot criticized what they claimed was the prime minister’s indecisiveness and inability to make difficult strategic decisions.

The two press conferences, by Netanyahu on Monday and Eisenkot and Gantz on Tuesday, came after public fury erupted on Sunday following news that the bodies of six hostages who had been alive until last week had been retrieved from Rafah, in southern Gaza.

Members of the opposition and hostage relatives accused Netanyahu of being responsible for their deaths, due to his refusal to agree to a gradual withdrawal of IDF forces from the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.

The prime minister held a late-night vote on this issue on Thursday in the National Security Cabinet, which approved his position, making it official Israeli policy. The prime minister reportedly acknowledged during the cabinet session that the vote could lead to a collapse of the  ongoing hostage talks. The only vote against the proposal came from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The prime minister’s office said in response, “Reality speaks for itself. Since Gantz and his party left the government, Israel assassinated the chief of staff of Hamas and the chief of staff of Hezbollah, attacked the Houthis, conquered the Philadelphi Corridor – Hamas’s rearmament pipeline – and conducted a preventive attack against Hezbollah that thwarted its malevolent intentions and destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the Galilee. Whoever does not contribute to victory and the return of our hostages, should remain silent.”