Egypt softens stance on withdrawal of Israeli troops from Philadelphi Corridor

Cairo is privately moving towards allowing Israeli forces to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, a key strip along its border with Gaza, despite public declarations to the contrary, The Times of Israel is reporting, citing senior Israeli officials.

According to the report, this shift in Egypt's position could complicate Hamas's stance in truce negotiations, as the group has demanded that Israel withdraw its troops from the corridor.

Initially, Egypt had pushed for Israel's withdrawal from the border strip during negotiations. However, according to Israeli officials quoted by The Times of Israel, Cairo has relaxed this effort in recent weeks as Israel's stance has hardened.

“They, too, don’t want Hamas to resume smuggling on the border,” an Israeli official said, referring to Egypt.

The official clarified that while a deal has not yet been reached, Israel intends to remain in the corridor temporarily.