Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday August 21 that Israeli troops will not withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor, the southern border separating Gaza and Egypt.

This announcement follows false reports by Israeli news broadcaster, Kan, that Netanyahu would consider withdrawing to progress ceasefire talks mediated primarily by the US. Egypt continued to demand Israel’s withdrawal on Sunday August 18, also contradicting claims by Middle East Eye that Egypt had consented in return for the reopening of Rafah.

The public statement reaffirmed that “Israel will insist on the achievement of all of its objectives for the war, as they have been defined by the Security Cabinet, including that Gaza never again constitutes a security threat to Israel. This requires securing the southern border.”

Since the beginning of the war, Israel consistently expressed its desire to maintain troops in Gaza, aiming to completely eradicate the potential for future threats from Hamas. The Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah Crossing are believed by many in Israel to be central to this goal, as Hamas has historically utilised underground tunnels to supply its operations.

The presence of Israeli troops in the Philadelphi Corridor has severely inhibited the access of over 1 million Palestinian refugees in Rafah to food and medicine, with medics being forced to withdraw. Netanyahu denied the existence of a humanitarian crisis on May 15.

Contradictory US-Israeli Statements

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken flew into Egypt, Qatar and Tel Aviv on August 17 to press for a ceasefire deal. Hamas refused to participate in this round of negotiations, accusing US intermediaries of harbouring biases towards Israel.

When pressed by journalists on Tuesday August 20, Blinken claimed Netanyahu accepted a “bridging proposal” to draw an end to the conflict, but the US is still awaiting a response from Hamas. The exact terms of the proposal remain confidential. Blinken notes it contains a schedule for the IDF’s withdrawal from Gaza, despite Netanyahu’s statements on troops remaining in the Philadelphi corridor indefinitely.

When questioned by reporters on how this could be true given Netanyahu’s statements, Blinken only reasserted that a “a very clear schedule” had been established.

Talks are taking place against the backdrop of fears that the conflict in Gaza may escalate to encompass the entire Middle East. The conflict has already spread to neighbouring nations, notably Iran, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

The conflict in Gaza escalated following the October 7 attacks by Hamas, which saw 1,200 Israelis killed and 250 hostages kidnapped. Since then, Israel has occupied and striked Gaza repeatedly to eradicate Hamas. Currently, the Palestinian death toll stands at over 40,000.