Egypt's army chief of staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Fathy Khalifa made a surprise visit to the country's border with the Gaza Strip to inspect the security situation, state television reported on Thursday, citing the army's spokesperson.
The visit comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would only agree to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza which guaranteed that the border area between southern Gaza and Egypt could never be used as a lifeline for the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
The Philadelphi corridor, along the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt, has been one of the main obstacles to a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and bring Israeli hostages home in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
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