Tel Aviv, Sep 3 (IANS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that keeping the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stationed at the Philadelphi corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border is a "strategic necessity" and imperative for Israel.

In a statement late Monday, Netanyahu said that the 14 km strip of land is essential for Israel to achieve its war aims.

He said that the Philadelphi corridor was the pipeline for Hamas' rearmament. "Following the 2005 Disengagement, Israel controlled all of Gaza's borders except the one with Egypt, and it was through that border that weapons reached the Gaza Strip arming Hamas men," he said.

He also said that the axis of evil needs the "Philadelphi Axis", referring to Iran and its proxies, and added that this was the precise reason Israel "must control it".

Netanyahu also vowed that Hamas will "pay a heavy price" for the alleged killing of six hostages in a Gaza tunnel over the weekend.

"Israel will not ignore this massacre. Hamas will pay a very heavy price for this," Netanyahu said, adding that the price will be exacted "in the short term".

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said six bodies, including two women and four men, were discovered on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area, southern Gaza.

According to an initial assessment by the IDF, the hostages were estimated to be brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists 48-72 hours before the Israeli troops reached them.

All six were taken hostage during Hamas' surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead and approximately 250 others captured.

Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed in a press statement that the bodies were found by the Israeli army in a tunnel in Rafah but noted that they "were killed by Israeli shelling."

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis rallied across Israel on Sunday and Monday, demanding Netanyahu negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas to secure the return of hostages held in Gaza.