Satellite images show Israel paving new road along Philadelphi Corridor: Report
Israeli forces are paving a new road running the length of Gaza's border with Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, satellite images have shown, according to a BBC report.
The imagery, photographs and video, which were captured between 26 August and 5 September and analysed by BBC Verify, show fresh tarmac along a section of road extending 6.4km inland from the coast along the border fence.
The construction of the road in the buffer zone, which has become a focal point in ceasefire negotiations, suggests that Israeli forces have no intention of withdrawing from the area any time soon.
On Wednesday, video footage circulated online showing construction vehicles laying fresh tarmac along the corridor.
The strategically important strip of land has emerged as a major sticking point in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
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Hamas has ruled out any Israeli presence, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that under a truce agreement, there would be no Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi and the Netzarim corridors.
The Philadelphi Corridor has existed for more than four decades, and has been maintained on the basis of two bilateral agreements between Egypt and Israel.
The Netzarim Corridor, meanwhile, cuts through central Gaza, and was created in recent months by Israeli forces to monitor Palestinians.
Palestinian groups have firmly rejected Israeli demands on maintaining a military presence in the two corridors, and believe that Netanyahu added these demands in order to derail negotiations.
"The axis of evil needs the Philadelphi Corridor, and for that reason, we must control the Philadelphi Corridor," he told a news conference in Jerusalem on 2 September.
The former head of Israel’s security agency, Nadav Argaman, has meanwhile accused Netanyahu of overstating the importance of maintaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor, in an interview aired on Israeli Channel 12 news on Saturday.
Argaman said Netanyahu's insistence on having a military presence in the buffer zone was only intended to keep his government in power.
“There is no connection between the weaponry found in Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor,” said Argaman, who headed the Shin Bet between 2016 and 2021.
“When Netanyahu speaks of remaining on the Philadelphi Corridor, he knows very well that no smuggling takes place over the Philadelphi Corridor. So we are now relegated to living with this imaginary figment.”
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