Explained: What Is Philadelphi Corridor In Gaza's Border Zone And Why Does Israel Want To Control It?

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he wants Israel to take full control of the Philadelphi Corridor, the buffer strip of land running along the southern border between Gaza and Egypt. Netanyahu mentioned in a press conference, “Philadelphi Route, or more precisely the southern stopping point in Gaza, must be under our control. It must be closed. Any other arrangement will not guarantee the disarmament we seek.” The move appears to aim at drilling the final nail in the coffin of Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestine. More than 22,000 people have lost their lives since October 7, and with this decision, Israel looks at complete control over Gaza.

What's the Philadelphi Corridor?

The Philadelphi Corridor or the Philadelphi Route is a strip of land running 14 kilometres long, located along the border between Southern Gaza and Egypt. The strip of land has seen multiple crucial decisions and political negotiations where it was under the control of the Israeli Armed forces according to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979. The Oslo Accords of 1993 also kept the strip under the control of Israel leading up to their unilateral disengagement from the Gaza strip in 2005. The Philadelphi Accord with Egypt authorized Egypt to deploy 750 border guards along the route to patrol the border on Egypt's side while the Palestinian side of the border was controlled by the Palestinian Authority, until the 2007 takeover by Hamas.

The strip along with the Rafah Crossing has always been an active site of conflict over the last decade and more. Egypt has claimed that it has been effective in destroying Palestinian smuggling tunnels and thus, successful in controlling illegal Palestinian immigration into Egypt. However, Israel remains unfazed in its decision surrounding the buffer strip, doubting Egypt's effectiveness in controlling the situation.

What Israel Wants to Achieve

Israel's urgency to seize control of the corridor would walk the final lap in completely isolating the besieged Gaza strip from the world. The corridor remains the strip's only connection with the world outside, as Israel has successfully blockaded all channels via land, sea or air. The Rafah Crossing is the only crossing that is not directly controlled by Israeli forces. The intention stands crystal-clear with Israel seeking to completely block the flow of weapons and other necessities into Palestinian hands and also bring a stop to Palestinians getting into Egypt. Netanyahu's comments not only amplify Israel's general expansionist policy but also signify the continuation of war and an unequivocal intention to not curb on the attacks on the battered and diminished people of Gaza.