(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Elon Perry - During a press conference for the foreign media on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas was planning to smuggle hostages out of Gaza using the Philadelphi Corridor. "If we leave the Philadelphi corridor, it will be impossible to prevent Hamas not only from smuggling weapons, but also from smuggling hostages," he said. Intelligence sources have told the Jewish Chronicle that Sinwar planned to smuggle himself and the remaining Hamas leaders along with Israeli hostages through the Philadelphi Corridor to Sinai and from there to Iran. This was revealed during the interrogation of a captured senior Hamas official, as well as by information obtained from documents seized on Aug. 29 in Gaza. However, the Israelis are not even considering withdrawing from Philadelphi. Within both the Security Cabinet and the army, it is assumed that giving in to Sinwar's demand for Philadelphi would be seen as weakness and a message to Hamas that killing hostages is profitable, and that such a concession would lead to further demands and more concessions, strengthening Hamas and endangering Israel's security. At a meeting to discuss the murder of the six abductees, most members of the Cabinet agreed that a withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor, could reinstate Hamas rule, which has proven over the last decade that its focus is on the elimination of Israel. Netanyahu informed President Biden of this in a classified internal document back on May 27 and again on August 16, when he responded to Hamas's demands during the failed negotiations.
2024-09-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive