US insists ceasefire deal includes Israeli withdrawal from corridor on Gaza-Egypt border

Salah Al Din corridor, also known as the Philadelphi corridor, in focus after killing of six hostages

Men walk through debris after a building was hit by an Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on September 3, 2024. AFP

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The White House on Tuesday said a proposed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas must include the removal of Israeli forces from a narrow strip of land along Gaza's border with Egypt, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops would remain there.

The Salah Al Din corridor, also known as the Philadelphi corridor, is in focus after Mr Netanyahu said on Monday that the area should never be abandoned, following Hamas's killing of six hostages.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said a “bridging proposal” put forth by the US last month to span remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas in a ceasefire and hostage release deal also included the Israeli withdrawal from the corridor.

“The bridging proposal that we started working with … included the removal of defence forces from all densely populated areas, and that includes those areas along that corridor,” Mr Kirby told reporters. “That's the proposal that Israel agreed to, and we're going to continue to work on this as hard as we can.”

Mr Netanyahu said the corridor is the key supply route Hamas uses to smuggle weapons into Gaza, a charge both Hamas and Egypt deny.

US President Joe Biden's administration has said Israel must completely withdraw from Gaza when the war ends, and Egypt is deeply opposed to a long-term Israeli military presence along Gaza's border, saying it is a violation of their decades-old agreement.

Mr Biden in May announced a three-phased agreement that he said Israel had proposed to end the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages being held by Hamas since October 7.

“They have to withdraw from all densely populated areas in phase one, that includes densely populated areas around or adjacent to the Philadelphi corridor where it intersects with those densely populated areas – that's what the proposal says,” Mr Kirby said. “That's the proposal that was put forth in the end of May.”

The US, alongside Qatar and Egypt, has been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas to end the war, sparked on October 7, when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel killing 1,200.

Since then, more than 40,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on the tiny coastal enclave, and more than 94,000 injured.

Mr Kirby said the deaths of six hostages at the weekend, including a US citizen, highlights the need to achieve a ceasefire deal.

“Clearly what happened over the weekend underscores how important it is to get this done as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that Hamas was responsible for their deaths.

The US State Department echoed Mr Kirby, calling on both sides to agree to a deal. Spokesman Matthew Miller said the death of the hostages was further proof that a deal needed to be reached.

“The world cannot afford to wait any longer,” Mr Miller said. “Over the coming days, the United States will continue to engage with our partners in the region to push for a final agreement.”

Mr Miller said recent talks in Cairo had borne some fruit.