The Philadelphi Corridor and Hamas’ bid to Survive: Israel at War – Jerusalem Studio

When Israel withdrew its forces and settlements from Gaza, 19 years ago, it was a unilateral move only as far as the Palestinian Authority was concerned. There was an agreement between Israel and Egypt regarding the border between Egypt’s Northern Sinai district at Rafah and the Gaza Strip, code-named Philadelphi on Israeli maps. This 14 kilometer ribbon of sand and land, from the Mediterranean to Rafah, became the focus of major smuggling activities in both directions, enabling Hamas to bolster its arsenal and build its vast tunnel network. Now that the IDF is in control of Philadelphi, it turned into both a strategic as well as a political bone of contention, with the Netanyahu school claiming that Israel must stay there regardless of cost and the defense establishment pushing it down the priority list, compared to other assets and needs.