Israel will never surrender ‘military and political assets in Gaza’, Netanyahu vows

Speaking with relatives of Israeli captives in Gaza and bereaved families of terror victims, Israeli prime minister pledges he will ignore intense foreign pressure to surrender key strategic areas in central and south Gaza in exchange for hostage deal.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel will maintain its control over key strategic areas in the southern and central Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday, pledging to ignore pressure both abroad and at home to reach a compromise with Hamas paving the way for a hostage deal and ceasefire.

Netanyahu met Tuesday with relatives of Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, and with the bereaved families of Israelis murdered by terrorists on October 7th.

During the meeting, Netanyahu said that Israel would never accept Hamas’ demand that the IDF surrender control over the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along Gaza’s southern border and separates the Gaza Strip from the Sinai Peninsula and the Egyptian border, or the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza which separates Gaza City in the northern Strip from Khan Younis and Rafah in the south.

“Israel will not leave, under any circumstances, the Philadelphi Route or the Netzarim Corridor, despite incredible pressure to do so. These are strategic assets, both military and political.”

Hamas has demanded that Israel retreat from both areas as a condition for a hostage release, and has insisted that such a deal include a permanent truce ending the current war.

Tzvika Mor, father of Eitan Mor, a security guard taken hostage at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th and held since then in captivity in Gaza, told Galei Yisrael that Netanyahu expressed pessimism regarding the prospects for a deal with Hamas.

“From what I could tell, the prime minister doesn’t think there will be an agreement. We also see that Hamas is consistently refusing, and in the meantime we are doing our best to hit Hamas until they are defeated.”