[News] Israel stomps on Gaza ceasefire deal, refuses withdrawal from Philadelphi corridor

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Israel stomps on Gaza ceasefire deal, refuses withdrawal from Philadelphi
corridor

Several recent reports say Israel has made extensive plans to resume its
genocidal war on Gaza

News Desk <https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9>

FEB 27, 2025 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-stomps-on-gaza-ceasefire-deal-refuses-withdrawal-from-philadelphi-corridor
(Photo credit: Ziv Koren)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said
<https://sarabic.ae/20250227/%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%83%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-1098219608.html>
on 27 February that Tel Aviv will not withdraw its army from the
Philadelphi corridor on the southern Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt,
marking a stark violation of the ceasefire agreement signed last month.

“We also have information that Hamas is planning to attack soldiers and
towns during the ceasefire,” Katz claimed during a meeting.

“The Philadelphia axis will remain a buffer zone, just as is the case in
Lebanon and Syria,” the defense minister added, openly confirming that
Israeli forces will not withdraw from the area. “I have seen with my own
eyes a fair number of tunnels that penetrate Philadelphia, some of which
were closed and others open,” Katz went on to say.

During the meeting with settlement council leaders, Katz
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/katz-says-phase-one-of-ceasefire-complete-hamas-will-not-remain-in-control-of-gaza/>
said phase one of the ceasefire agreement is “complete.” He also said that
Israel only agreed to a deal to return its captives, and that it is ready
to return to war.

The Israeli Army Radio also reported on the same day that Tel Aviv “has
backed down from its commitment to withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor
at the end of the first phase of the exchange deal.”

An Israeli official cited by AP said the same thing. Hamas issued a
statement on Thursday rejecting Katz's comments.

“The allegations and claims by the occupation’s Minister of War, Katz, that
Hamas planned to attack soldiers and settlements during the ceasefire are
misleading and unfounded. They come amid attempts by the occupation to
evade its commitments under the ceasefire,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, his statements about keeping the border area between Gaza and
Egypt as a buffer zone are a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement,
and an attempt to fabricate pretexts to disrupt and derail it,” the Hamas
statement added.

Israeli forces seized <https://thecradle.co/articles-id/25174> the
Philadelphi corridor in May 2024, and have held it since. The corridor and
the tunnels in its vicinity have been used by the Palestinian resistance
for years to bring weapons into Gaza, while Palestinians use them to bring
in items for everyday needs to alleviate the effects of Israel’s brutal
siege.

The Israeli army is supposed to pull out its troops from the area as part
of the ceasefire agreement.

US envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Israel on
Sunday to negotiate an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday that
the premier has sent a negotiating team to Cairo to discuss an extension
with mediators.

According to recent reports, Tel Aviv has made extensive plans for resuming
the war in Gaza
<https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-wants-full-hamas-disarmament-buffer-zones-in-gaza-during-phase-two-of-ceasefire-talks-report>
and establishing buffer zones in the northern and eastern parts of the
strip.

Israel recently imposed new conditions, including the full disarmament of
Hamas and the release of all remaining captives in a single swap.

According to a report by *Haaretz*
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-02-24/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-aims-to-release-all-hostages-in-one-single-stage-but-hamas-is-unlikely-to-agree/00000195-3492-d670-ad97-7dd7df740000>,
“as far as Netanyahu is concerned, there is no second stage” of the deal.

The report says Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer recently
told Witkoff that Netanyahu’s plan is to secure the release of all captives
in a single stage, and that Hamas will receive prisoners in exchange.
Otherwise, “Israel will return to intense warfare” and reimplement a
“version” of the Generals’ Plan – which saw the expulsion of hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians from north Gaza, the killing of thousands, and
the destruction of the strip's health sector.
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