What's Next for the Gaza Truce? Look at the Border With Egypt.
As the first phase of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas winds down this weekend, the future of the truce remains murky. What happens in a key strip of land along the border between Egypt and Gaza in the coming week could provide an indication of how things will move forward.
Israel is supposed to begin withdrawing troops on Sunday from the border area, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and leave it completely by the following weekend. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has long said that Israeli control there is a core security national interest, injecting uncertainty over this step.
Here's what to look for in the coming days.
An eight-mile strip of land that divides Gaza from Egypt, the Philadelphi Corridor emerged as a major sticking point in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas. The border, which divides the city of Rafah, was set up under the Egypt-Israel peace treaty of 1979.
Detail area
Mediterranean
Sea
Gaza
City
Cairo
SINAI
PENINSULA
EGYPT
gaza
strip
100 miles
PhiladelphI
Corridor
israel
Rafah
EGYPT
5 miles
By The New York Times
After Hamas seized full control of Gaza in 2007, its fighters and officials oversaw the enclave's border with Egypt and the Rafah crossing, the only exit from Gaza to the outside world not directly overseen by Israel.
Israeli officials have argued that Hamas smuggled in arms and materiel for its fighters from across the Egyptian border. In September, Mr. Netanyahu called the Philadelphi Corridor 'Hamas's oxygen valve.'
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Israel-Palestine Conflict' section of study guide for New York high schoolers draws outrage
A New York State Regents Exam study guide intended for 10th graders is making the rounds on social media over its section on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the guide's section on "Decolonization and Nationalism" — which happens to be Unit 10.7 — the section gives its definition of Zionism and includes notes on the United Nations Partition Plan and acts of terrorism. The widely criticized guide calls Zionism an "example of extreme nationalism" and defines it as the "belief that Jews need a homeland in Palestine." Additionally, its example under the category of "Acts of Terrorism by Israel & Palestine" is "settler movement by Jews taking away land from Palestinians." Student Calls Out Elite University Staffing And Costs Before House Judiciary Committee Half Hollow Hills Central School District Interim Superintendent Brian Conboy addressed the issue at a Board of Education meeting on Monday. He said that the material in question was neither created nor approved by the Social Studies Department or the district. He also noted that the material was created before Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. "As planned and previously discussed, the HHH Social Studies Department will be meeting to conduct curriculum writing over the next two months to address these exact topics. Moving forward, all curriculum relating to these issues, both historical and modern, will be district-wide and vetted by an outside group of experts in the field," Conboy said. He assured parents that all teachers in Global Studies 10 would use "the same materials and language" on this topic next school year. "On behalf of the district, I want you all to know that offensive and inaccurate materials such as this do not meet our standards of excellence and are not something we take lightly. We can and will do better moving forward," Conboy concluded. Read On The Fox News App Jewish Family's Peace Shattered As Neighbor Is Accused Of Hate-fueled Attack The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Spokesperson JP O'Hare acknowledged the issue in a statement online and clarified that it "does not create or distribute curriculum or study guides." O'Hare also said NYSED would "continue to monitor and take appropriate action as needed." In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, O'Hare seemed to take a swipe at critics, saying NYSED takes "issue with anyone attempting to cloak misinformation in the guise of combating antisemitism. That's not advocacy, it's manipulation." Despite the school district and NYSED statements on the issue, the study guide has drawn backlash from both sides of the aisle with Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., condemning the academic materials. Federal Judge Sides Against Jewish Students Who Sued Upenn Over Antisemitism Torres said the guide "demonizes Zionism" while failing to "label as extreme the anti-Zionist ideology that inspired the October 7th massacre—the belief that Jews should be violently expelled from the land of Israel." "Anti-Israel indoctrination under the guise of academic instruction is one of the pathologies of modern education," Torres wrote in a post on X. Stefanik — who some believe is preparing to launch a bid for New York governor — slammed N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats. "This New York State Regent Exam is a disgraceful example of the rampant and persistent indoctrination of our children in the K-12 education system perpetrated by radical far-left Democrats," Stefanik said in a statement to Fox News Digital. She also posted a similar message on X, claiming the "aging antisemitism in New York is appeased and promoted by Kathy Hochul and her failing antisemitic NY Democrat Party." Auburn Basketball Coach Accuses Carville Of Spreading 'Hatred' With Statements About Jewish Donors In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment on the study materials, Hochul's office said that the NYSED was responsible for the Regents Exam. However, they also noted Hochul's repeated condemnations of antisemitism and actions taken to combat it, including convening "the first-ever summit on antisemitism in education." Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director Anne Bayefsky said that, "such indoctrination perpetuates antisemitism." She slammed the guide for teaching hate over "tolerance, respect and coexistence." "Anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism because it teaches that Jewish self-determination is a wrong — instead of the realization of a basic human right. It is time to connect the dots between teaching hate inside the schools and the violence on our streets," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. As of this writing, the original source of the study guide remains unclear, with neither NYSED nor the school district attributing it to anyone in particular. According to Michelle Herman, a parent at Half Hollow Hills High School East, one teacher who distributed the material did not realize what was in it and has since apologized. Herman emphasized that she does not blame the teacher for the article source: 'Israel-Palestine Conflict' section of study guide for New York high schoolers draws outrage
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New super PAC launches anti-Mamdani ad push amid criticism over pro-Palestinian stance
NEW YORK — A group of executives in New York's finance, law and communications sectors has launched a new super PAC to oppose Zohran Mamdani's mayoral run, kicking off with an ad accusing the socialist of pushing to 'defund the police' amid an increase in pro-Palestinian protests in the city. The PAC, called Sensible City, Inc., disclosed in filings released Tuesday it has raised $211,000 so far to oppose Mamdani, who has consistently polled as the runner-up to Andrew Cuomo, the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary. The ad's focus on pro-Palestinian protests comes as Cuomo and other moderate Democrats have accused Mamdani of aligning himself with antisemitic causes due to his outspoken criticism of Israel's war in Gaza. Mamdani has rejected those accusations as politically motivated, saying he's adamant about fighting all forms of hate. Asked if he recognizes Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, Mamdani has said Israel has a right to exist as a state with 'equal rights for all.' The PAC was launched by Alan Sash and Daniel Horwitz, partners at two prominent New York law firms, as well as investor Eric Eve and PR professional Lisa Wolford, paperwork shows. The largest single donation to the PAC to date came from Rob Stavis, a partner of Bessemer, a venture capital firm, who gave $100,000. Other contributors include Eagle Capital Management founder Ravenel Curry, who gave $50,000, and designer Danyelle Freeman, who also gave $50,000. Filings show the PAC has already plunked down $100,524 on airing the new ad slamming Mamdani. The ad started going out on digital platforms over the weekend. 'It doesn't stop: day after day, streets blocked, demonstrations, some calling for killing, destruction, it's not safe. Institution walls defaced with symbols to remind us of what can happen only because of who we are. The haters mean every word they utter. What can we do?' a voice in the digital ad says as imagery flashes across the screen of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Israel vandalism playing out on New York City streets. 'Zohran Mamdani wants to defund the police, we need a mayor who puts more cops on the street. What's your June 24 Democratic primary choice?' A rep for the new PAC didn't immediately return a request for comment from the Daily News. Mamdani, a Queens Assembly member and democratic socialist, has in the past supported calls for defunding the police. As a mayoral candidate on the 2025 campaign trail, he has called for keeping NYPD staffing levels flat. Mamdani spokesman Andrew Epstein called the new PAC expenditure a 'desperate' attempt to push back on the candidate's left-wing agenda, which includes vows to increase taxes on corporations and millionaires to bankroll expanded free child care and public transit. 'It's always amusing when some of the richest people in the city are so outraged at the idea of paying just a little more in taxes that they spend tens of thousands of dollars on deceitful and slanderous attack ads,' Epstein said. 'New Yorkers will see this for exactly what it is: desperate.' The new PAC spending comes as recent polls have shown Mamdani closing in on Cuomo. A May 28 poll from Emerson University put Mamdani just 8% behind Cuomo. A separate PAC, Fix the City, has raised more than $12 million, mostly from billionaires and powerful business executives, to boost Cuomo with ads and other political messaging. The Fix the City expenditure is the largest super PAC spend on a single election in New York history. _____
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Huckabee suggests Muslim countries should give up land for Palestinian state
The US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has suggested "Muslim countries" should give up some of their land to create a future Palestinian state. In an interview with the BBC, Huckabee said "Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that are controlled by Israel". "So maybe, if there is such a desire for the Palestinian state, there would be someone who would say, we'd like to host it," he said. The ambassador also called a two-state solution - a proposed formula for peace between Israel and the Palestinians that has generally received international backing, including from multiple US administrations - "an aspirational goal". The two-state solution envisages an independent Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital. It would exist alongside Israel. In a separate interview with Bloomberg, Huckabee said the US was no longer pursuing the goal of an independent Palestinian state. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce later said the ambassador "speaks for himself", and it is the president who is responsible for US policy in the Middle East. Later this month at the United Nations in New York, French and Saudi diplomats will host a conference aimed at laying out a roadmap for an eventual Palestinian state. Although Huckabee did not say where any future Palestinian state could be located specifically or whether the US would support such an effort, he called the conference "ill-timed and inappropriate". "It's also something that is completely wrongheaded for European states to try to impose in the middle of a war," he said, arguing that it would result in Israel being "less secure". "At what point does it have to be in the same piece of real estate that Israel occupies?" he said on the BBC's Newshour programme. "I think that's a question that ought to be posed to everybody who's pushing for a two-state solution." Asked if the US position was that there could not be a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Huckabee said: "I wouldn't say there can never be, what I would say is that a culture would have to change. "Right now the culture is that it's OK to target Jews and kill them and you're rewarded for it. That has to change." Israel rejects a two-state solution. It says any final settlement must be the result of negotiations with the Palestinians, and statehood should not be a precondition. Huckabee has previously been a strong supporter of the idea of a "greater Israel", seeking permanent Israeli control of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and using the biblical term "Judea and Samaria" for the West Bank. Some of his language echoes positions frequently taken by ultranationalist groups in Israel. Some in this movement, including far-right ministers in the Israeli governing coalition, have argued for the expulsion of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza, saying any future Palestinian state could exist in Arab or Muslim countries. If such a policy was enacted, rights groups and European governments say it would be a clear violation of international law. The ambassador also strongly criticised US allies for sanctioning two far-right Israeli ministers over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities" in the occupied West Bank. The sanctioning of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was part of a joint move announced by the UK, Norway, Australia, Canada and New Zealand on Tuesday. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the Israeli officials had "incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights". The men were banned from entering the UK and will have any assets in the UK frozen. Israel registered strong objections to the move, and Huckabee called it a "shocking decision". "I have not yet heard a good reason for why these two elected ministers have been sanctioned by countries that ought to respect the country's sovereignty and recognise that they have not conducted any criminal activity," he said. The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 251 others hostage. There are 56 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Since October 2023, at least 54,927 Palestinians have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run ministry of health. The UN estimates that more than a quarter of them are children. UK sanctions far-right Israeli ministers for 'inciting violence' against Palestinians Gaza health workers say four killed by Israeli gunfire near aid centre The unseen map that promised to bring peace to the Middle East
