As talks on a ceasefire/hostage deal continue to take place in Doha, Israel’s insistence on maintaining control over the Morag Corridor in southern Gaza has emerged as the main obstacle to an agreement.

IDF forces seized the area of the Morag Corridor—a 12-kilometer route between Rafah and Khan Younis—about three months ago. The corridor serves as an internal border that divides the Gaza Strip in two while isolating Hamas—above and below ground—in the Rafah area.

Channel 12 News noted that Israel considers the corridor to be “Philadelphia II,” similar to the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egyptian border, whose function is to prevent smuggling and limit terrorist movement. However, unlike the Philadelphi Corridor, which the IDF considered less critical, the Morag Corridor is defined as essential for a rapid response, for locating terrorist infrastructure, and for maintaining constant military pressure, even in the event of a ceasefire.

Control of the Morag Axis allows Israel to maintain operational continuity, sever connections between different parts of the Strip, and block Hamas from reestablishing itself in the south. Politically, it is viewed as a strategic tool to secure long-term freedom of action, while the IDF emphasizes its importance for security and operations—facilitating rapid troop deployment and hindering any resurgence of Hamas forces.

On the other hand, Hamas sees the Israeli demand as a dangerous political achievement that will undermine its status. According to reports, Hamas strongly refuses to allow an Israeli presence on the Morag Corridor, which could make it difficult to achieve the emerging agreement.

In practice, the demand to maintain the Morag Corridor as a kind of security buffer means that Israel may prefer a delay in the agreement over ceding an operational asset, as long as international oversight arrangements are not guaranteed to replace the IDF presence on the ground.

“The corridor is critical to our security,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement earlier this year. “It enables us to put greater pressure on Hamas and secure the release of our hostages.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)