Netzarim Axis: Witness to the Failure of the Israeli Occupation’s Plans in Gaza

On the 22nd day of stopping the genocide committed by Tel Aviv with American support in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army completely withdrew from the "Netzarim" axis that separates the north of the Strip from its south, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian factions.

The Netzarim axis extends from the far eastern border of the Gaza Strip to the seashore in the west, and intersects with the main Salah al-Din Street.

Israeli withdrawal

Last night witnessed the exit of Israeli military vehicles from the axis that Tel Aviv established during the genocide as a dividing line in the middle of the Strip, after more than a year and three months of its occupation of the eastern regions of the Strip.

The Israeli army imposed its control over the "Netzarim" axis in early November 2023, isolating the Gaza and North Governorates from the central and southern regions, forcing nearly a million Palestinians to flee to the south of the Gaza Valley under the pressure of intense Israeli bombardment.

On January 27, the army withdrew from the axis extending from Rashid Street (coastal) in the west to Salah al-Din Street in the east, which allowed for the gradual return of more than half a million displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip.

As the return began, the Palestinians walked on foot along the coastal road, while vehicles used Salah al-Din Road, amid inspection procedures carried out by three American and Egyptian security companies, according to Hebrew media.

What is the Netzarim axis?

The name "Netzarim" comes from a former Israeli settlement established in the Gaza Strip before the settlements were dismantled in 2005. The axis is a strategic road in the middle of the Strip, linking the north and south of Gaza, and is surrounded by diverse areas including agricultural lands, Palestinian refugee camps, and population centers.

From the north, the axis approaches the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, one of the oldest and most densely populated neighborhoods in the Strip.

While from the south, it passes near Wadi Gaza, a waterway that separates the city from the central areas, and connects to the areas of Al-Maghraqa and Al-Nuseirat camp, which is one of the largest Palestinian refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip.

To the east, it is bordered by Jhar al-Dik, an agricultural area close to the border with Israel, which has long been subject to military targeting due to its open location.

There are also vast agricultural lands extending along the axis, which were previously used as buffer zones during the Israeli occupation of the Netzarim settlement, which cut off communication between the north and south of Gaza.

From the west, the axis connects to the coastal road via the Sheikh Ajleen junction, making it a main passage for movement between Gaza and the southern governorates.

Expand the axis

Over the past months, the Israeli army has destroyed hundreds of buildings on both sides of the axis, in an attempt to create a buffer zone in the middle of the Strip, and has established a wide network of military outposts, communications towers, and defensive fortifications, turning it into a military line.

The Israeli army began its advance towards the Netzarim axis, launching its ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023.

Israel wanted to control the axis between the Gaza and Middle Governorates, divide the Strip into two parts and separate them by military force, and prevent the movement of Palestinians and their vehicles.

At the beginning of the ground operation, the axis was 8 kilometers long and a few hundred meters wide, but Israel recently expanded it to a total area of about 56 square kilometers.

Reactions

The agreement consists of 3 stages, each lasting 42 days, during which negotiations will take place to start a second and third stage, leading to the end of the war of extermination.

With American support, between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2025, Israel committed genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 159,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing, and one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.

Source: Anadolu Agency