Israel seeks full control of Gaza-Egypt border, Netanyahu says

Netanyahu's comments about the buffer zone came as Israeli military forces pressed ahead with an offensive that he reiterated will last 'for many more months'

Israeli soldiers embrace after arriving from combat in the Gaza Strip at an army staging area in southern Israel, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israel must take full control of the Gaza Strip border corridor with Egypt to ensure a "demilitarisation" of the area, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, as Israel's military pushed deeper into central and southern Gaza.

Speaking at a press conference, Netanyahu said: "The Philadelphi Corridor - or to put it more correctly, the southern closing point (of Gaza) - must be in our hands. It must be shut. It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarisation that we seek."