Israel claims ‘operational control’ of Philadelphi Corridor
The Israeli military has claimed “operational control” of the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Gaza from Egypt.
“It doesn’t mean that we have boots on the ground across all of the corridor, but it means we can control and we have the ability to cut off the oxygen line that Hamas has used for replenishing and movement in and around that area,” an unnamed official told the Reuters news agency.
Israeli forces seized the Rafah crossing and areas on the Palestinian side of the corridor this month, sparking outrage from Egyptian officials, who said Israel is violating the terms of the two countries’ 1979 peace treaty.
Israel said it needs control of the corridor to target tunnels used by Hamas. Its military said it located 20 tunnels under the corridor, news reports said.
A skirmish between Israeli troops and Egyptian forces this week killed one Egyptian guard, underscoring the risk of escalation. Israel’s military said it’s keeping Egypt abreast of its operations, The Times of Israel reported.
Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat reports from Amman, Jordan.
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