Israel’s hold on Gaza corridor said to stall hostage deal, ceasefire talks

Control of key Gaza route is delaying deal despite growing pressure from President Trump and international negotiators.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the Morag Corridor in southern Gaza is holding up a proposed hostage deal and ceasefire agreement, according to a report by Ynet on Wednesday.

The 12-kilometer route, seen as critical to Israel’s war strategy, has become the main obstacle to advancing talks, despite growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and international mediators.

The corridor, located between Rafah and Khan Younis, was captured by Israeli forces three months ago.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized its strategic importance, calling it essential for dividing Gaza and weakening Hamas.

Israel plans to build a “humanitarian city” near the corridor on the ruins of Rafah to house displaced Palestinians.

The government says military control of the route will help screen civilians returning to the area and create a buffer to keep Hamas fighters out.

Hamas, however, is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal as part of any hostage release framework.

Talks had been progressing toward a 60-day ceasefire that would include the release of hostages, the return of remains, and expanded humanitarian aid.

“The corridor is critical to our security,” Netanyahu said in an earlier televised address. “It enables us to put greater pressure on Hamas and secure the release of our hostages.”

According to the Ynet report, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF chief of staff, said Israel’s advance into southern Gaza was intended to pressure Hamas into negotiations.

“What will halt our advance is the release of the hostages,” he stated.

Despite a Qatari-brokered framework reportedly accepted by Hamas, Israeli officials remain firm.

Defense Minister Israel Katz and other members of the security cabinet back maintaining control of the corridor.

Katz previously said all of Rafah would be evacuated and turned into a security zone.

The policy has drawn criticism from both Israeli and international figures who fear it reflects long-term territorial ambitions.

Ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who hold the national security and finance portfolios, respectively, have supported retaining the area, referring to it by the name of the former Israeli settlement of Morag, which was evacuated in 2005 as part of the disengagement from Gaza.

Earlier this year, Netanyahu also resisted withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border, a move that delayed earlier hostage talks.

A memo issued in July 2024 reaffirmed the strategic importance of holding the Morag corridor after six Israeli hostages were killed in Rafah.

The current deadlock recalls a previous ceasefire deal when Israel pulled back from the Nitzarim Corridor, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.

Israeli estimates later suggested thousands of Hamas fighters returned as well, reinforcing skepticism about full withdrawals.

An Israeli negotiator told Ynet that Hamas remains unpredictable.

“At the end of the day, we’re dealing with a terrorist organization,” the official said. “You cannot predict how they will act.”

Saudi outlet Al-Hadath and Sky News both reported that Hamas’s key demand remains Israel’s full exit from the Morag Corridor.

The continued IDF presence is also hampering humanitarian aid distribution, limiting U.S. and international NGO access to southern Gaza.