Israeli forces withdraw from key Gaza corridor

JERUSALEM

The Israeli military has completed its withdrawal from the eastern portion of the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip, a Hamas official announced on Feb. 9.

“Israeli forces have dismantled their positions and military posts and completely withdrawn their tanks from the Netzarim Corridor on Salaheddin Road, allowing vehicles to pass freely in both directions," the official from the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said.

Palestinians began to return to the eastern portion of the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip.

The move came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sending a delegation to Qatar, a key mediator in talks between the sides, but the mission included low-level officials, sparking speculation that it won’t lead to a breakthrough in extending the truce.

Netanyahu is also expected to convene a meeting of key cabinet ministers this week on the second phase of the deal.

Netanyahu wrapped up his Washington meeting on Feb. 8, with the U.S. President Donald Trump’s widely criticized plan to move Palestinians out of Gaza and remarks on Saudi Arabia-Israel normalization still resonating in the region.

In a Fox News interview, Netanyahu said normalization with Saudi Arabia would come after Hamas is defeated and the Iranian axis cut.

His comments came after Riyadh denied claims made by U. Trump that that there was no Saudi demand for an establishment of a Palestinian state before normalization with Israel could take place.

"When we complete the changeover in the Middle East, when we cut the Iranian axis down even further that we've already cut it, when we make sure Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons, when we destroy Hamas, that will set the stage for an additional agreement with the Saudis and with others," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said there was no longer any belief that there could be a Palestinian State after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

"They had one, it's called Gaza," he said. "We got the Abraham Accord because we went around the Palestinians," he said claiming the Palestinian Authority, like Hamas seeks the destruction of Israel.

Israel is small he said, praising Trump for cutting to the chase. "We can't be any smaller, we're not going to have an organization that is committed to our destruction, 9 miles from the sea."

‘Trump’s plan could change everything’

“I think that President Trump's proposal is the first fresh idea in years, and it has the potential to change everything in Gaza," Netanyahu said on the plan.

The Israeli leader also said that relocated Palestinians would have to "disavow terrorism" to be allowed to return to Gaza.

Meanwhile, Egypt will host a summit of Arab nations on Feb. 27 to discuss "the latest serious developments" concerning the Palestinian territories, according to a statement.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also travelled to Washington yesterday for talks with senior officials from the new Trump administration and members of Congress.