In a long presentation, much of it translated from his presentation to the Israeli press, Prime Minister Netanyahu explained today (Wednesday) why holding Philadelphi is vital for a deal and Israeli security.
After covering the atrocities of October 7, Netanyahu used a number of maps showing how small Israel is relative to the Arab world and how close the Gaza Strip is to many of Israel's major cities - "spitting distance," he called it.
Netanyahu then discussed how entering into Rafah and the Philadelphi corridor forced Hamas to negotiate and that a deal without control of Philadelphi would not save the hostages, as they could be smuggled out of the Gaza Strip, which is within "walking distance" of Egypt, as he put it.