Why the ‘Philadelphi Corridor’ May Derail a Gaza Deal

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A tiny ribbon of land is proving a major roadblock for negotiators

Egyptian army soldiers patrol on a parallel road to the Philadelphi Corridor, a zone that separates Egypt from the Gaza Strip, March 19, 2007. (Photo by CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images)

Posted: September 8th, 2024

By Tom Nagorski

Tom Nagorski is the Managing Editor for The Cipher Brief. He previously served as Global Editor for Grid and served as ABC News Managing Editor for International Coverage as well as Senior Broadcast Producer for World News Tonight.

DEEP DIVE — A small sliver of territory lies at the heart of the desperate international effort to free Hamas’ remaining hostages, and bring at least a temporary peace to Gaza.

The Philadelphi Corridor – nine miles long and just 100 yards wide – runs along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, and is mentioned in nearly every briefing on the state of the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. As the U.S., Egypt and Qatar work to draft a new – and some say last-chance – deal that will satisfy the warring parties, that small corridor keeps getting in the way.

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