The killing of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were found in a tunnel on Thursday is being partially blamed on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to reach a ceasefire deal.
Critics claim the cabinet “decided not to save” the hostages when it voted to keep control of a buffer zone, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, separating Gaza from Egypt.
The issue of who will remain in control of the corridor has been one of the main focus points of recent ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, with the terror group insisting that Israel withdraws fully from Gaza.
What is the Philadelphi Corridor?
The Philadelphi Corridor is 14km (8.6 miles) long, running south from the Mediterranean sea along the Gaza-Egyptian border.
Israel took control of the corridor in May, when forces invaded the city of Rafah. Until then, 750 Egyptian forces had been in control of the zone, as per the peace agreement between Jerusalem and Cairo in 2005 when Israel withdrew from Gaza.
The purpose of the Egyptian forces controlling the border was to prevent infiltration and combat terrorism. But when Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, Egypt failed to secure the border.