Netanyahu refuses to give in: Biden should put pressure on Hamas, not Israel

On September 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for him to soften his stance on Monday, refusing to accept the withdrawal of troops from the southern border area of Gaza as a condition of a ceasefire agreement. The so-called Philadelphia Corridor is located on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip and borders Egypt. The issue has been a major sticking point in efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and return Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Hamas rejects any Israeli presence, while Netanyahu insists Israel will not give up the corridor. "The axis of evil needs the Philadelphia Corridor, so we must control the Philadelphia Corridor," Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem. If Israel withdraws from the corridor, he said, international pressure will make it difficult to return. When asked about Biden's claim that he had not done enough on the hostage deal, Netanyahu said the pressure should be on Hamas, not Israel, especially after the deaths of the hostages.