2023-12-31 09:39:13
Over recent weeks, the Philadelphia axis has been mentioned in the midst of the war that Israel is waging in the Gaza Strip, with the stated goal of eliminating Hamas.
The last mention of the axis was in statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Saturday that “Israel must fully control the axis, to ensure demilitarization in the region.”
Netanyahu added in a press conference: “The Philadelphia axis, or more precisely the southern stopping point (in Gaza), must be under our control. It must be closed. It is clear that any other arrangement will not guarantee the disarmament we seek.”
What is the focus of Philadelphia? Why is it strategically important for both Israel and Egypt?
- The name Philadelphia Axis or Salah al-Din Axis is given to a strip extending on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
- It is located within buffer zone D under the peace agreement signed by Egypt and Israel in 1979.
- The axis extends from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south, with a length of regarding 14 kilometers.
- The peace agreement between Egypt and Israel imposes numerical and qualitative restrictions on the deployment of forces on both sides of the border, including the Egyptian side of the axis.
- Israel controlled the Philadelphia axis within its control over Area D, to which it belongs, until it withdrew from Gaza and handed it over to the Palestinian Authority in 2005.
- In the same year, a new agreement was signed to regulate the presence of forces in the Axis region, and allowed for Egyptian-Israeli security coordination.
- Egypt deploys a limited number of forces on its side of the axis, to prevent infiltration and smuggling operations.
- Recently, press reports spread regarding an Israeli plan to build an underground wall in the axis area.
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