Netanyahu says Israel must retain control of key corridor on Egypt-Gaza border

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00:00In front of a room full of journalists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pled his case

00:06for why he wouldn't give up Israeli control of the so-called Philadelphia Corridor in

00:11order to reach a ceasefire deal.

00:14The axis of evil needs the Philadelphia Corridor and for that reason we must control the Philadelphia

00:19Corridor.

00:20Hamas insists for that reason that we not be there and for that reason I insist that

00:25we be there.

00:2814 kilometres long and 100 metres wide, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering

00:33Egypt and including the Rafah crossing, the Philadelphia Corridor was a demilitarised

00:38zone before Israel seized it in May as it expanded its Gaza ground offensive.

00:45Israeli troops have since uncovered tunnels there they say have been used to smuggle weapons

00:49and ammunition into Gaza.

00:51But as part of a ceasefire deal, Hamas has long demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal

00:56from the Strip, while Egypt objects to Israeli military presence on the border.

01:03Netanyahu's comments came at the end of a day of nationwide protests in Israel.

01:07The recovery of the bodies of six hostages in Gaza on Sunday has fuelled anger and growing

01:11accusations that the Prime Minister was looking for excuses to prolong the war.

01:16This time it's the Philadelphia Corridor, which is really very insignificant in the

01:24broader context of the war between us and the Hamas in Gaza.

01:31All the security experts, all the generals, all the heads of Mossad, of the Secret Service,

01:36they all say we can pull out and if at some point in the future there will arise a need

01:44to react against the Philadelphia Corridor, we will be able to do it.

01:49Analysts say that what's at stake is really Netanyahu's political survival, which depends

01:54on placating his far-right coalition partners, whose parties reject any concessions to reach

02:00a deal.

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