Major General Eliezer Toledano, head of the Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate of the IDF General Staff, has told PM Netanyahu’s cabinet, “We have no intention of leaving the Philadelphi corridor,” Reshet Bet Radio reported Monday morning.
As the leftist propaganda machine is pushing the idea that a uniform security apparatus – except Mossad chief David Barnea – wants to pause the war for the sake of a hostage deal, which is, essentially, the White House’s position, it appears that a key figure in the IDF leadership does not even consider a ceasefire, much less a withdrawal from Gaza.
Toledano, 51, served as the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, the PM’s Military Secretary, Commander of the Gaza Division, and Commander of the Southern Command before taking over then-Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi’s five-year development plan in 2020. According to the Israeli press, in a November 2022 meeting of Southern Command senior officers, Toledano suggested that Hamas would attack Israel, as its ultimate doctrine commands, and the IDF should launch a preemptive strike.
Major General Toledano described to the cabinet ministers the IDF’s work in the Philadelphi corridor and what the soldiers are finding, adding that holding on to Philadelphi is crucial for cleansing Hamas’s underground tunnels.
In response, Ministers Yoav Kish, Orit Strook, and Amichai Chikli asked, So why does the army agree to replace the IDF soldiers with sensors or a foreign force?
Toledano replied: “There’s no such thing. We are not saying it. The IDF is not saying that Philadelphi should be handed over to a foreign force, but that we should continue to cleanse it underground and above ground.”
The ministers pressed again, and asked: “But this is what is said all the time in the name of the army.” To which Toledano replied: “I’m telling you here how it works from a security point of view. We are subordinate to the political echelon. If the political echelon decides to get out of there, we will do it, but that’s not what we’re saying.”
On Sunday, the IDF uncovered a huge Hamas tunnel beneath the Philadelphi corridor. The massive tunnel, tall and wide enough for heavy vehicles to ride through it, is located directly under an Egyptian guard station on the Gaza border (IDF Destroys 10-Foot-Tall Tunnel Beneath Gaza’s Philadelphi Corridor).
The Egyptians have announced that they oppose letting IDF forces remain along the Philadelphi corridor, and would not permit the opening of the Rafah crossing if it remains under Israeli control. The Egyptians expressed their willingness to invest efforts in reviving the hostage negotiations with Hamas but demanded Israeli flexibility regarding the situation at the border and an IDF withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor.
Last Wednesday saw a tough debate on the release of Israeli hostages with the participation of the Prime Minister, the head of the NSA, the Defense Minister, the Chief of Staff, the head of the Shin Bet, and the commander of intelligence gathering on the hostages.
During the debate, the representatives of the security establishment reiterated their support for the deal even at the price of a withdrawal from the Philadelphia corridor and the possibility of letting armed Hamas terrorists transit to the north of the Gaza Strip. They said the IDF would know how to return and fight after 6 weeks if the hostage deal did not advance to its second phase. Netanyahu insisted on maintaining IDF forces along Philadelphi axis and blocking the Gazan population movement to the north.
Meanwhile, most of Israel’s media are pushing the idea that Hamas is ready and willing to strike a hostage deal and Netanyahu is refusing. This is also the theme of anti-Netanyahu demonstrations, which are not nearly as big as they used to be. Millions of dollars continue to be poured into this campaign which is the latest effort on the part of Israel’s elite to remove Netanyahu from office despite his electoral majority.
