Withdrawing from Egypt-Gaza border would enable Hamas to spirit hostages to Iran — PM
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Netanyahu argues that leaving the Philadelphi Corridor could enable Hamas to spirit the hostages to Iran. He compares security officials who support leaving the Gaza-Egypt border to those who recommended withdrawing from Gaza and Lebanon.
He says Israel has got Hamas “by the windpipe,” and that its control of the Gaza-Egypt border “can give us the hostages.” During even a 42-day withdrawal, he says, Hamas could smuggle hostages, above ground, “to Sinai, meters away — cross the fence and disappear to Iran, Yemen.”
The pressure to leave the Philadelphi Corridor is “a terrible trap,” he says.
Security sources wrongly said in the past that it would be “no problem” to disengage from Gaza and withdraw from Lebanon because Israel could “immediately go back” if needed, he says.
“After the ninth of October,” says Netanyahu, misstating the date of the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7, “we learned to be a bit more careful in our assessments.”
