Netzarim Corridor Explained

The Netzarim Corridor[1] is a zone of occupation that Israel has set up in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.[2] The corridor, which splits the Gaza Strip down the middle, is located just south of Gaza City and stretches from the Gaza-Israel border to the Mediterranean Sea.[3] The corridor is named for the site of the former Israeli settlement that it includes.[4]

The IDF considers this corridor to be essential for carrying out raids in northern and central Gaza, as well as securely channeling aid into the region.[5]

History

Israel invaded the Gaza strip on 27 October 2023 as a response to the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel three weeks prior. On 30 October 2023, IDF troops were confirmed to have entered the area of the former Netzarim settlement.[6] [7] [8] By 6 November, the IDF "had cut an informal, winding track" across the Gaza Strip which reached to the coast.[9] On 24 November, it was reported that the IDF would "continue administrative and logistical movements on the Netzarim axis and coastal road in the northern Gaza Strip".[10]

Satellite imagery from 6 March 2024 showed that a 4miles long partially paved road, numbered Route 749,[11] had been constructed within the corridor. Approximately 1.2miles of the road consists of pavement that existed prior to the Israel–Hamas war, with Israel clearing a path through the entire width of the strip. The IDF also repaired portions that were destroyed by armored vehicles and reinforced it with multiple lanes for various types of military vehicles. Satellite imagery from 24 May 2024 showed new pavement had been laid over gravel roads since 18 May 2024 up to the intersection with the Salah al-Din Road.[12]

According to the Institute for the Study of War, in July 2024 Israel increased the width of the corridor from 2km (01miles) to 4km (02miles).[13]

On 17 August 2024, two Israeli soldiers of the Jerusalem Brigade's 8119th Battalion were killed in the Netzarim Corridor by a Hamas ambush which included a roadside bomb and militants firing on the convoy.[14]

Iran claimed that it successfully hit the Netzarim Corridor as part of its October 2024 Iranian airstrikes on Israel.[15] [16] The claim has not been confirmed by Israel nor any Western analyst.[17]

Between September and November 2024, Israeli soldiers demolished over 600 buildings around the road to create a buffer zone, in addition to increasing the presence of outposts, communication towers, and defensive fortifications.[18]

Corridor network

Along with the Philadelphi Corridor and a new, as-of-yet unnamed corridor running through northern Gaza, the Netzarim Corridor provides the IDF with secure operational partitioning of Gaza in order to better manage military situations and target terrorist operatives and infrastructure.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Israel will use Netzarim Corridor in Gaza for a year: army . 10 March 2024 . . en.
  2. https://eng.fatshimetrie.org/2024/03/09/the-netzarim-corridor-the-controversial-military-infrastructure-that-divides-gaza/ "The Netzarim Corridor: the controversial military infrastructure that divides Gaza"
  3. Web site: 17 May 2024 . What Israel’s strategic corridor in Gaza reveals about its postwar plans . The Washington Post.
  4. News: Alkhaldi . Celine . Goodwin . Allegra . Greene . Richard Allen . 8 March 2024 . Israeli road splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast, satellite imagery shows . 6 May 2024 . CNN.
  5. News: Henderson . Cameron . 10 April 2024 . Israel kills ‘numerous’ gunmen in battle for ‘Gaza corridor’ . 6 May 2024 . The Daily Telegraph.
  6. News: Berger . Miriam . Harb . Hajar . Booth . William . 2023-10-31 . Israel tanks penetrate deep into Gaza, as Hamas hostage video emerges . 2024-07-26 . . en-US . 0190-8286.
  7. News: 2024-10-30 . Mapping Israel's ground assault into Gaza . Washington Post.
  8. Web site: Kottasová . Ivana . 30 October 2023 . Israeli ground operation seemingly intensifying in Gaza, CNN crews report . CNN.
  9. Web site: 17 May 2024 . What Israel’s strategic corridor in Gaza reveals about its postwar plans . 25 July 2024 . Washington Post . en.
  10. Web site: IRAN UPDATE, NOVEMBER 24, 2023 . 25 July 2024 . Institute for the Study of War . en.
  11. News: Forey . Samuel . Imbert . Louis . Israel-Hamas war: Gaza City has been reduced to hunger and chaos . 6 May 2024 . Le Monde . 7 March 2024 . English.
  12. Web site: Monks . Kieron . 5 June 2024 . Israel building watchtowers and outposts in Gaza in sign of post-war ambitions . 15 August 2024 . inews.co.uk . en.
  13. News: Fitzpatrick . Kitaneh . Parry . Andie . Wells . Katherine . Kishore . Siddhant . Tyson . Kathryn . Moore . Johanna . Carter . Brian . 2 July 2024 . Iran Update . Institute for the Study of War.
  14. Web site: 17 August 2024 . Army says a second reserve soldier was killed by roadside bomb in Gaza. The Times of Israel. Emanual. Fabian.
  15. Web site: Iran launches more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel . 2024-10-01 . www.bbc.com . en-GB.
  16. Web site: 2024-10-01 . Iran hits Israel's Netzarim military facility and Tel Nof intelligence unit . 2024-10-01 . Tehran Times . en.
  17. News: Roth . Andrew . Escalation with Iran could be risky: Israel is more vulnerable than it seems . The Observer . 5 October 2024.
  18. News: Boxerman . Aaron . 2 December 2024 . Israel Builds Bases in Central Gaza, a Sign It May Be There to Stay . The New York Times.
  19. BBC Israel building new military dividing line across Gaza, satellite images suggest, November 28, 2024

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