Israel’s refusal to withdraw from a narrow strip of desert on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, as called for in the ceasefire with Hamas, could further threaten the fragile truce.
An Israeli official said Thursday that Israeli forces would remain in the so-called Philadelphi corridor to prevent weapons smuggling. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Under the ceasefire agreement reached last month, Israel was to begin withdrawing on Saturday and complete the pullout within eight days. Hamas said any attempt to preserve the corridor as a buffer zone would be a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
There was no immediate comment from Egypt,
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