‘Israel’ rejects any Hamas sovereignty over Rafah crossing

A senior Resistance source has conveyed to Al Mayadeen that “Israel” says it rejects any Hamas sovereignty over the Rafah crossing and eyes a new administration to handle it.

The source also indicated that “Israel” wants certain guarantees that the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia axis will not be used to smuggle weapons to Hamas.

Moreover, “Israel exhibited no flexibility regarding the withdrawal from the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia Axis,” the same source further stressed.

This comes less than a week before an exclusive source told Al Mayadeen that Hamas’ amendments to the latest Israeli paper regarding a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal do not affect the core issues.

The source pointed out that the Palestinian group holds on to its positions regarding establishing a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and the return of the forcibly displaced.

Hamas insists on the necessity of Israeli forces withdrawing from the Philadelphia Axis and the Rafah crossing, the source added, affirming that the Resistance group insists on its position of rejecting a “veto” on the release of Palestinians with life sentences.

What is the Philadelphia Axis?

The Philadelphia Axis is a region that extends from the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing, linking the Gaza Strip and occupied territories, to the southernmost point on the Gaza Strip’s coast.

Also known as the Philadelphi Route, the 14 km narrow strip of land separates Palestine from Egypt and was established as a “buffer zone” between “Israel” and Egypt in a 1979 treaty. Before the Strip was liberated in 2005, the Axis was under the control of Israeli occupation forces.

Initially, the Israeli occupation had intended to utilize its presence in the region as a method to prevent the transfer of materials and goods into the Gaza Strip, however, intricate tunnel systems eventually deemed it an ineffective method. As the occupation withdrew from the Gaza Strip, it concluded the Philadelphi Accord with Egypt, in which 750 Egyptian troops were allowed to be positioned alongside the border under the title of “maintaining security”