Hamas: Israel clearly violating ceasefire by refusal to withdraw from Philadelphi Corridor

The Palestinian Hamas militant group has called Israel's reluctance to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor a "clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement after an Israeli official announced on February 27 that IDF troops will remain there to prevent weapon smuggling.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity, Caliber.Az reports citing US media.

Israel was scheduled to start withdrawing from the 14-kilometre corridor within the first 50 days of the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, which will come to an end on February 29.

Hamas is now demanding that mediators pressure Israeli authorities into "fulfilling all the terms of the deal".

Israel's Defense Minister has said that the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt will remain a “buffer zone just like [Israel's borders with] Lebanon and Syria” in a statement given to Israel's Channel 12.

Hamas has called this move "a blatant violation" of the ceasefire agreement and accused the Israeli government of using it as an attempt to create pretexts for its eventual collapse in the future.

While speaking to regional council heads, Katz revealed that he received intelligence during the ceasefire that Hamas "is plotting attacks on soldiers and communities," a claim that Hamas dismisses as "baseless".

By Nazrin Sadigova