New satellite images released in recent days reveal the expansion of the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza. The IDF has been working to widen the route and four reserve soldiers recently fell there, killed by roadside explosive devices planted by Hamas.
The IDF established the Netzarim Corridor to prevent armed terrorists from returning to northern Gaza and to block the general return of Palestinians to the area unsupervised. The corridor includes a newly constructed operational route and a "drainage point" that blocks northward movement. Palestinians can move south through this point, but not in the opposite direction. Four large outposts have been set up along the corridor to accommodate the permanent presence of hundreds of soldiers.
In recent days, the IDF's 16th Reserve Brigade launched a raid on the Zeitoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City, located north of the Netzarim Corridor, with the aim of expanding it. During the raid, forces were tasked with locating tunnels, terror infrastructure and Hamas weaponry. The brigade-level operation is ongoing, targeting militants and destroying weapon caches that pose a threat to forces in Netzarim.
The corridor has also become a point of dispute in the negotiations to secure a cease-fire and hostage- release deal. Israel insists on maintaining a presence along the Philadelphi Corridor near the Gaza border with Egypt and on the Netzarim corridor as well.
While Hamas demands that all Gazans be allowed to return to northern Gaza during a cease-fire and opposes an Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Route or in Netzarim, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there must be a mechanism to prevent the return of armed Hamas operatives to the north. Israel did not include such a condition in the original proposal from May, but it was raised in a "clarification document" submitted at the end of July.
Earlier this month, the U.S. reportedly made it clear to Israel and the mediating countries during negotiations, that there would be no real-time restrictions or a formal mechanism for screening the population returning to their homes in northern Gaza. "It’s not on the table," one official said. "From their perspective, there can be no deal if Israel insists on such a condition after evacuating the Netzarim Corridor."
Two Israeli sources indicated that the prime minister agreed to postpone dealing with the issue until the end of negotiations, allowing him to use the potential return of Palestinians to the north as a deal-breaker or to decide that other achievements justify accepting the agreement.
The new initiative from the mediating countries proposes the establishment of a mechanism to ensure that both sides uphold their commitments. This includes deploying international observers to the Netzarim Corridor, which will be evacuated by the IDF, to monitor and report on potential violations by Hamas, such as militants moving northward.