Live Updates: Saudi statement slams Netanyahu on Philadelphi as US plans new cease-fire proposal
Netanyahu promises to maintain the Israeli military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, further complicating cease-fire negotiations.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday expressed "strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli statements regarding the Philadelphi Corridor."
The kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Tuesday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday that the Israeli military would indefinitely maintain a presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land in Gaza bordering Egypt.
Israel claims that Hamas has long used the terrain to smuggle weapons, ammunition and goods into Gaza used to build up its military capabilities and has expressed fear that Hamas may smuggle the remaining Israeli hostages out of Gaza via the corridor. In previous cease-fire negotiations, Hamas has demanded Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor, as a requirement of any cease-fire deal.
The United States is now working on a new cease-fire proposal between Israel and Hamas, but Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping Israeli forces in the Philadelphi Corridor will present a significant hurdle to negotiations.