STORY: Netanyahu demands Israeli control of Gaza along border with Egypt
SHOOTING TIME: July 11, 2024
DATELINE: July 12, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:20
LOCATION: Jerusalem
CATEGORY: MILITARY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Israeli troops in military operations seen from Gaza border

STORYLINE:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the border zone between the Gaza Strip and Egypt must remain under Israeli control, even after the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian enclave concludes.

His remarks were made as an Israeli delegation, led by Shin Bet internal security service chief Ronen Bar, was en route to Cairo to continue talks with negotiators over a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

The talks aim to secure a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the release of over 100 individuals still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Speaking at an officers' course graduation ceremony at a military base in southern Israel, Netanyahu emphasized that to prevent "the smuggling of weapons" to Hamas from Egypt, Israel must control the "Philadelphi Corridor," the area between Gaza and Egypt, as well as the Rafah crossing.

"Any agreement must permit Israel to resume fighting until all the objectives of the war are achieved," Netanyahu declared. "We will not allow the return of armed terrorists or the entry of weapons into the northern Gaza Strip."

He further insisted that he demands that "a maximum number of live hostages be released on the first stage of the deal."

In early May, Israeli ground forces stormed the area of Rafah, launching a major offensive on Gaza's southernmost city where more than 1 million displaced people were seeking shelter.

The troops gained control over the Gaza-Egypt border area as well as the Rafah crossing area, according to the Israeli military.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jerusalem.
(XHTV)