An Israeli official says the military will not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip. The pullout was part of the ceasefire, and Israel’s refusal could spark a crisis with Hamas and key mediator Egypt at a sensitive moment for the fragile truce. The official says Israeli forces needed to remain in the so-called Philadelphi corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, to prevent weapons smuggling. The official spoke hours after Hamas released the remains of four hostages in exchange for over 600 Palestinian prisoners, the last planned exchange of the ceasefire’s first phase, which ends this weekend.
