Only continued pressure and military control on the Gaza-Egypt border will enable Israel to achieve its war aims and the return of the hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on September 2.
He said that Israeli military control of the Philadelphia Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border “is of paramount importance both for the return of the hostages and for the defeat of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.” Therefore, Israel will continue strong military pressure and control of the Philadelphia Corridor.
“We have set four war objectives: to eliminate Hamas, to return all the hostages, to ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat and to return the residents safely to their homes in the north. Three war objectives pass through one place: the Philadelphia Corridor.”Netanyahu said.
He explained that this corridor is a “pipeline” for supplying weapons and support to Hamas. If Israel succumbs to national and international pressure and abandons the Philadelphia Corridor, it will no longer be able to return there, the head of the Israeli government added.
In doing so, he responded to calls from those in Israeli society who believe it is possible to reach a deal with Hamas to release the hostages and then return the military to the positions that would be maintained as part of that deal. According to him, a similar situation occurred when, as part of the unilateral withdrawal in 2005, Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip.
“We said: with the first rocket we will return. Twenty years have passed and we still haven’t entered. This is not easy to do, it is not a question of military tactics. If we leave, we will not return. It will be difficult for us to overcome international pressure.”“Netanyahu stressed.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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