Occupied Jerusalem- Since the beginning of the ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has been expanding the so-called “Netzarim” axis (Martyrs Junction) and linking it to branching military roads and new bases in the northern area of the Strip, under the pretext of preventing the return of militants to the area and turning it into a focal area for launching ground operations.
The Netzarim axis and the military roads branching from it enable residents in the northern Gaza Strip to move south, but not inward or in the opposite direction, as 4 large military points were established in the region to achieve the objectives of the military operation and the plan to empty them of Palestinians in preparation for the replacement of settlers.
Military axis
The occupation forces are deployed on roads and military axes branching off from the Netzarim axis, in an unspecified strip of the northern Gaza Strip, including the Mefsalem military axis, which is about 3 kilometers wide and in the middle of which is a new military zone.
The military axis intersects with the highway built by the Israeli army, which begins at “Crossing 96,” which it established last March at the border near Kibbutz “Bari.” It is a highway that Israel launched during the war along the Gaza Strip under the pretext of delivering aid from South to north.
Crossing 96 – which is considered parallel to the security fence to reach the northern Gaza Strip – ends at the military outpost and coastal checkpoint near the floating port area established by the US army.
Two large masts were added to the permanent sites in the Netzarim axis, which were modernized and expanded for the benefit of operational communications and dozens of means of collection, surveillance and photography, which are managed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by a special operations room for the purpose of implementing the military mission in the northern Gaza Strip and tightening control over it after the displacement of its residents. .
In line with the war of extermination in the northern Gaza Strip and the aspiration to tighten military control over the place, and in accordance with the “generals’ plan” – which aims to isolate northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip to pressure Hamas to accept a deal on Israeli terms – the army completed the construction of 4 military points along the Netzarim Corridor. To provide permanent residence for hundreds of soldiers belonging to two reserve brigades.
Transit routes
Near the coast, the Israeli army is completing the preparation of large crossing roads with means of remote inspection, especially cameras equipped with facial recognition technology, as reported by Yoav Zeitoun, the military correspondent for the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
It seems that the Israeli army’s control of the Netzarim Corridor itself – according to Zaytoun – “has already established itself as a regular military base, as if the soldiers were located at the Nahal Oz military site or at the Re’im military site, where there are still military commanders at the company and battalion levels in the northern sector, Despite the military operation and the blows it is receiving, Hamas is still standing on its feet.”
Therefore, the Netzarim Corridor – the military correspondent adds – “is expanding further in the daily operations of the Israeli army in a way that is supposed to harm Hamas fighters and keep them away from the neighborhoods surrounding the corridor, whether the southern neighborhoods of Gaza City, the Zaytoun and Sheikh Ejlin neighborhoods on the one hand, and the outskirts of the towns of Bureij and Nuseirat on the other hand.” “on the other hand.”
The Israeli occupation army regained control of the Netzarim axis on November 5 through the 36th Division, and the purpose of the renewed occupation was to encircle Gaza City as part of the battle and divide the sector into two parts.
The length of the axis is about 8 kilometers and its area is approximately 38 square kilometers. It extends between the Karni Pass (Al-Mintar Crossing) and the Mediterranean Sea, passing through Salah al-Din Road, the former “Netzarim” settlement before its dismantling in 2005, and Al-Rashid Road. At its western end, it is possible to supervise the Gaza Port.
Checkpoints and rules
In the modernized area, defensive sites, military points, and brigade headquarters were built in which Israeli forces and logistics company crews reside. The defensive sites contain warning electronic tools in the event of rocket launches, and shields against the launch of rocket shells, according to a report by the “Israel Today” newspaper.
The Israeli army, through the 749th and 601st battalions of the Combat Engineering Corps, paved a military highway in the corridor known as “Road 749,” which allows, according to the newspaper, the movement of Israeli forces and military supplies in an effective manner, enhances control over military actions, and blows up the nozzles of combat tunnels.
In addition, the Israeli army set up two security checkpoints in one direction for the purpose of crossing Gazans into the southern Gaza Strip, and Israel does not allow displaced Palestinians to pass north through the corridor and checkpoints and military barriers spread on the Netzarim axis, except for humanitarian supplies, according to the newspaper’s claim.
In April 2024, the Israeli army began establishing military bases along the corridor, and the western base was the Netzarim base, which is a large base among a group of bases being built in the corridor with the aim of controlling the region and increasing the ability to launch military operations effectively in the Gaza Strip.
Another military base was established in the Turkish Hospital building, and most of the other bases are smaller in size. A tower used for communications and surveillance was erected in each base. Last May, the army announced the completion of the construction of 4 large settlement points along the corridor.
In mid-April, the corridor was expanded to the south by building bridges over Wadi Gaza and north of Nuseirat.
Last July, the army worked to expand the width of the corridor from two kilometers to about 5 kilometers, demolishing buildings on both sides of the corridor and blowing up residential squares and infrastructure. There were no Palestinian homes left around the corridor.
