An Egyptian source has refuted reports in Israeli media regarding purported agreements between Egypt and Israel concerning the Philadelphi corridor. The source emphasized that these claims are part of Israeli attempts to obscure its ongoing military failures in the Gaza Strip.
The Philadelphi corridor, a buffer zone on the Egypt-Gaza border, spans 14 kilometers in length and 100 meters in width. It was established under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty and stretches from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Karm Abu Salem border crossing in the south. Egyptian security forces have been patrolling this corridor since Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.
The Egyptian official also highlighted Cairo’s insistence on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing to facilitate its reopening. On May 7, Israel launched an assault on Rafah, seizing control of the Palestinian side of the crossing between Gaza and Egypt for the first time since its 2005 withdrawal from the strip. Egypt has demanded the removal of Israeli troops from this area, asserting that only Egyptians and Palestinians should manage the crossing.
No aid trucks have been able to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing since the Israeli incursion. Over recent weeks, Egypt has coordinated with the United Nations to facilitate the entry of several aid trucks into Gaza through the Karm Abu Salem border crossing.
Israel’s war on Gaza, now nearing ten months, has faced increasing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire. Since the conflict began on October 7, Israeli occupation forces have caused extensive casualties and damage, with 38,983 people killed, 89,727 injured, significant infrastructure destruction, and the displacement of most Gaza residents.
