IDF builds 19 bases along Netzarim Corridor, dozens of smaller posts - report
The IDF explained that the demolition of buildings is necessary to prevent Gazan terrorists from using them again as posts to attack Israel and Israeli forces from
The Israeli army is expanding its presence in the center of the Gaza Strip, building military bases and destroying hundreds of Palestinian buildings, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing satellite image analysis.
The area controlled by the IDF in the Netzarim Corridor now extends some seven square miles.
According to the analysis, the IDF has established at least 19 major bases in the region, in addition to dozens of smaller facilities. Twelve of these bases have been built or expanded since early September.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, international spokesperson for the IDF, explained that the army has destroyed certain buildings that "served as observation posts and hideouts for Palestinian terrorists."
This increased military presence marks a significant change for Israel, which previously avoided maintaining a permanent presence in Gaza. The control of the axis, which crosses Gaza from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean Sea, allows Israel to regulate movements in the enclave.
"The army has expanded its grip on the territory on both sides of the axis, with a width of about 4.3 kilometers [2.7 miles] and a length to match, to facilitate control of the area," said Shoshani. The northern corridor of Gaza now extends over about 56 square kilometers (21.6 miles), covering eight kilometers (five miles) from the border to the coast.
Initially designed as a currency of exchange for the release of hostages, the corridor was supposed to allow the return of about a million Gazans to their homes in exchange for the release of a hundred hostages. However, negotiations are at a standstill.