image source, Getty Images
The Israeli army announced that it took control of the strategic Philadelphia axis, which is located along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had imposed “operational control” over the Philadelphia corridor in recent days, describing it as a “lifeline” for Hamas, which “regularly smuggles weapons into the Gaza Strip.”
The Philadelphia or Salah al-Din axis is an area, parts of which are about 100 meters (330 feet) wide, and extends along the Gaza border with Egypt. Its length is 13 kilometers (8 miles), and it is located in the buffer zone according to the peace treaty signed by Egypt and Israel in 1979. .
Hagari said that the army found about 20 tunnels there used by Hamas to smuggle weapons into Gaza, adding that the forces are conducting an investigation and destroying the tunnels found in the area.
On Wednesday evening, a high-ranking Egyptian source denied the Israeli statements, describing them as “lies” that “express the magnitude of the crisis facing the Israeli government.”
The Egyptian official accused Israel of using these allegations to justify its military operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and prolonging the war for political purposes, according to what was reported by the Cairo News Channel.
The channel quoted the source as saying, “There are no communications with the Israeli side regarding the allegations of the existence of tunnels on the Gaza Strip border with Egypt,” at a time when tensions are escalating between the Egyptian and Israeli sides.
Smuggling “impossible above and below ground”
image source, Getty Images
The New York Times reported that the Israeli military spokesman later said in a press conference that he could not confirm that all the tunnels found by the Israeli army crossed into Egypt.
Egypt previously confirmed that it destroyed the border tunnels in 2013, saying that they were used to transport fighters and weapons during the war that Egypt fought for years against militants in North Sinai.
Last January, the head of the State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, said that Egypt had completely destroyed these tunnels and strengthened border control, in a step that “makes any smuggling operation impossible, neither above nor below the ground.”
Rashwan accused Israel of using allegations to justify its illegal occupation of the Philadelphia axis.
Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi indicated in an interview with the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation that Israel must “ensure with the Egyptians that smuggling does not occur through tunnels” under the border.
Israel insists on the necessity of its control of Rafah to achieve victory in its war against Hamas in Gaza, which came after the Palestinian movement’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 Israelis and detained 252 others in the Strip.
Israeli raids and operations have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians across Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, according to the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health.
Tensions between Egypt and Israel have escalated since Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing three weeks ago, as part of their offensive against Hamas.
Earlier this week, an Egyptian soldier was killed in an exchange of fire between Egyptian and Israeli forces in the border area.
Since Hamas came to power in the Palestinian Strip in 2006, Egypt has kept channels open despite tightening control over the borders.
Egypt acted as a mediator in the indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian movement in order to reach a ceasefire agreement and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Continuing attack on Rafah
image source, AFP
Despite international condemnation of the bombing of a camp for displaced people in Rafah last Sunday, which killed about 45 Palestinians, the Israeli army continues its attack on the crowded city since May 7, with the aim of eliminating the last stronghold of Hamas.
On Wednesday, Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, witnessed raids and street fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas, the day after Israeli tanks were stationed in the center of the city.
Witnesses told Agence France-Presse that helicopters fired heavy fire on the eastern and central sectors of the Palestinian city of Rafah, supported by artillery and smoke bombs.
Since May 6, the Israeli army has issued a warning to the Palestinians to evacuate the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah before its tanks enter, which led to the flight of about a million Palestinians from the city, which is crowded with more than 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other areas.
It is worth noting that the National Security Advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister, Tzachi Hanegbi, said that he expects the war against Hamas in Gaza to continue until at least the end of this year.
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