17 hours ago
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The Israeli military has been steadily expanding its presence along a strategic corridor that splits the Gaza Strip in half and there is no indication it plans to leave anytime soon, according to a new report.
The Israel Defense Forces currently control the Netzarim Corridor and a buffer zone of about 18 square miles around it.
The massive stretch houses over a dozen outposts and several bases from which the IDF has launched key operations against Hamas, including one that rescued four hostages over the summer, the Times of Israel reported.
A four-mile road along the stretch has been used to deliver humanitarian aid to north Gaza and keep people from returning to areas there that have been evacuated.
While the IDF has said the infrastructure is temporary and can be removed quickly, it has continued developing the area, indicating that it will be there for the foreseeable future, the outlet reported after a tour of the corridor last week.
Troops have destroyed Palestinian villages in the buffer zone, arguing that it was necessary to secure the stretch and that Hamas was launching attacks from the buildings.
“You need to protect the soldiers,” IDF brigade commander Lt. Col. Omri — whose last name was withheld over security concerns — explained in an interview. “You need to create an area from which you will have enough time to respond if [the enemy] tries to attack.”
“We need to give the soldiers minimal facilities in which to live,” he added. “We are the IDF, not some guerrilla organization. I don’t want to use equipment that belongs to Palestinians, and I don’t want to use Palestinians’ homes.”
The Israeli army is reportedly planning to build another strategic corridor in north Gaza, where this week it launched a new offensive on Hamas terrorists.
Israeli officials have said such buffer zones are essential for preventing Hamas from using returning civilians as human shields, securing Israeli communities and mitigating future threats, i24News reported.
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