Israel Refuses to Withdraw from Strategic Gaza Corridor, Ceasefire at Risk

Israel Refuses to Withdraw from Strategic Gaza Corridor: An official speaking on the condition of anonymity said that Israel wouldn't comply with the Gaza border restoration as instructed by an ACTUAL ceasefire. Such staunchness on the part of Israel can result into a major crisis with the Hamas government as well as Egypt which is brokering the encounter at a point where the ceasefire is in a delicate situation.

An official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the functions of the position, explained that Israel needs to sustain defense in the so-called ‘Philadelphi corridor’ located in the territory of Gaza and the border with Egypt to avoid illicit arms trade.

She spoke a few hours after the Hamas had released the corpses of four hostages in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian detainees, the final anticipated act of the phase vacations of the ceasefire, which expires this weekend. The talks on the more ominous and ever more demanding phase have yet to commence.

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According to the agreement Israel should have started last Saturday to pull out the troops from the Philadelphi corridor, which is the last day of the phase and it is yet to complete in 8 days' time.

However, such a visit by US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Middle East Steve Witkoff in the upcoming days raises high stakes and tensions.

There was no immediate response from either Hamas or Egypt. Though it gave a statement early on Thursday, the militant group contended that the only means by which Israel can secure the freedom of the remaining hostages in Gaza is through discussions and adherence to the ceasefire.

Four hostages' bodies are recognized The bodies handed over on Thursday, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, were those of Ohad Yahalomi, Idzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mantzur and Tzahi Idan, all of who are held captive and have family members in the forum.

Mantzur was 85 years old, while serving as a peace keeper in the South, and he was killed when Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023, this was the reason that the war opened, and his body was taken into the occupied territory, the three others were taken alive to Gaza where he then murdered them.

"Our hearts ache upon receiving the bitter news," Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. "In this painful moment, there is some solace in knowing that they will be laid to rest in dignity in Israel."

“I share the immense pain of the family and relatives of Yahalomi, who has French citizenship,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.

Hamas confirmed that more than 600 of prisoners had been released at night. Most were detention that were returned to Gaza from the midst of which they had ben rounded up after the October 7th event and had been held under charges of security suspicion.

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A cheerful return for the released prisoners Even as they disembarked from the buses in Khan Younis city of southern Gaza, returning some of the prisoners threw themselves on the ground in thanksgiving. Meanwhile, in the Beitunia township in the West Bank, dozens of prisoners were also welcomed by crowds of relatives and well-wishers.

The prisoners donned the navy blue official shirts given by the Israeli prison service and they had addressed in its name a carrot and stick policy against the prisoners. Some of the prisoners tore the shirts into pieces and threw them on the ground or burned them.

The direct victims of that practice were the reasons cited by Israel for not agreeing to the release of the prisoners on the appointed day. These include Hamas’ use of prisoners as a tool to settle scores and the humiliating spectacle of conducting such a ceremony with hostages on international and local media.

Hamas, however, delivered the four bodies in Gaza to the International Red Cross during the night and without any public programs.

According to the information handed over on Thursday, the released prisoners included 445 males, 21 adolescents and one female, for whom the lists did not specify the age. That is why little correction was needed – only case of fewer than 50 ‘returned’ to the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem while dozens delivered to the turn of August, graced /sentenced for killing were organized disappearance outside their country.

The ceasefire is under threat As for the current geo-political conflict the fifth delivery was the end for the section number one as envisaged to have a life period of six weeks. Hamas has transferred 33 detainees, six of whom were alive, in exchange for all but 2000 Palestinian prisoners.

Witkoff, an envoy of Donald Trump, has expressed an intension that is calling for resuming of talks on the second phase after engaging in discussions on the first. This time period was set to commence from the existing terms the first week of the month of February.

Netanyahu, the Prime minister of Israel, has also promised to free all the captives and eliminate Hamas, which controls Gaza's army works and is part of the main government works. And the administration of President Donald Trump endorses both aims.

However, it is doubt whether or not Israel would assault Gaza in order to eliminate Hamas with the consequence that is highly unlikely that Hamas would release all captives- which are the main leverage- without 3.5 years of ceasefire.

This incidental trouble shooting over is the cease-fire brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar after fifteen months of war following Hamas’ attack in the year ‘2023’ in southern Israel, 1200 people were killed, 250 were hosed.

Then the four corpses were cutout which 59 prisoners left in Gaza, out of which 32 are assumed to be dead. Some 150 have been released under trade deals or cease-fire agreements or have been collected by Israeli forces as corpses. Scores of bodies ave been recovered by forces, while 8 captives have been liberated alive.

According to Palestinian health sources, Israel’s offensive has more than 48,000 Palestinian soldiers, not civilians, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. However, more than half of them, it said, were either women or children.

Estimates indicate that the conflict caused more than 90% of the 1.8 million population of Gaza to move as well as destroy the majority of the infrastructure and the health care system of the territory.

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