Israel will not leave the Philadelphi Corridor in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official said on Thursday.
"We will not allow the Hamas murderers to once again roam around with pickup trucks and guns on our border. We will not allow them to regain strength from smuggling," the source said.
According to the original ceasefire agreement, the IDF was supposed to reduce its presence on the Philadelphi Corridor and then withdraw from it completely over the course of the first 50 days.
Israel wanted to supervise the Philadelphi Corridor, but this request was rejected. According to foreign media reports, Israel was convinced of the need to withdraw from the area.
The prime minister will hold several consultations today on Gaza, the hostage deal and is expected to make a decision if/when to send a delegation either to Doha or Cairo, an Israeli official tells the Jerusalem Post.
Hamas open to extending ceasefire
Hamas announced in a statement on Thursday morning that it renews its "full commitment to the ceasefire agreement, and confirm our readiness to enter into negotiations for the second phase of the agreement."