The important Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border is under Israeli control

International Desk: Israeli forces have taken control of a buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Israel's military said on Wednesday it had taken control of a strategically important area on the Gaza-Egypt border. That area is known as the Philadelphia Corridor. News from BBC, Reuters.

A spokesman for the Israeli military (IDF) claimed they had found as many as 20 tunnels there. Hamas used them to smuggle weapons. But Egyptian television, citing a source, rejected such claims and said Israel was trying to justify its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. 

Israel announced control of the area at a time when tensions with Egypt have escalated. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that IDF troops recently took control of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt and Rafah. He termed this corridor as the 'lifeline' of Hamas. He also claimed that Hamas regularly brings weapons to the Gaza Strip. 

Daniel Hagary said troops were searching ... and working to clear tunnels in the area. According to a New York Times report, Hagari told reporters that he was not sure if all the tunnels were connected to Egypt. The Philadelphia Corridor is a buffer zone or safe zone, which is only 100 meters wide. And this area is about 13 kilometers from the border of Egypt towards Gaza.

Egypt previously said it destroyed the cross-border tunnels (connecting both borders). This makes it impossible to smuggle weapons through them.  Meanwhile, citing a high-level source in Egypt, Al Cairo News says that Israel is using these allegations to prolong the war for political reasons and to continue the operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah.

Israel says it has no choice but to win Rafah to win the Gaza war. On October 7, the Palestinian independence organization Hamas launched a sudden attack by entering the border of Israel. Israel then launched a counter-attack on Gaza.