The Israeli occupation army begins tonight the withdrawal from the "Netzarim axis" in the central Gaza Strip

The Israeli occupation army began withdrawing from the Netzarim axis in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday night - Sunday, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement. Scenes showed the occupation soldiers burning military equipment during their withdrawal.

Israeli media reported that the Israeli army will begin the withdrawal process from the axis at 6:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to understandings stipulating that the withdrawal process will be completed on the 22nd day from the start of the agreement.

The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Saturday that the Israeli occupation army is expected to withdraw completely from the Netzarim axis in the middle of the Gaza Strip tonight, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, after a year and three months of controlling it during the ground war on the besieged Strip.

The newspaper reported that "according to the agreement, Israel must complete the withdrawal from the last settlement outposts on the Netzarim axis, which represent a symbol of the Israeli army's maneuvers in Gaza and a symbol of the settlers' aspirations to settle in the Strip." It added: "From now on, the forces will remain in the Strip only in the buffer zone and Philadelphi."

However, the occupation army has not responded to the withdrawal yet, according to the newspaper, and the political level has not addressed this matter either. The newspaper pointed out that the occupation government threatened today, Saturday, with a counter-reaction to the scene of the release of the fifth batch of Israeli prisoners in the middle of the Gaza Strip today.

According to the newspaper, the sites that will be evacuated tonight are located in a section east of Salah al-Din Road, "which means that from now on the Israeli army will not have any forces in the northern Gaza Strip except for the forces of the 162nd Division, which at the same time completed its deployment in the buffer zone near the border."

"We are preparing for the final exit, but don't worry, we will be back."
An Israeli officer gives instructions to his soldiers to withdraw completely from the #Netzarim_Axis according to the prisoner exchange deal and ceasefire #AlJazeera_Mubasher #Gaza pic.twitter.com/AdF3VjAEK7

— Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) February 8, 2025

The newspaper said that the Netzarim axis is considered "one of the symbols of the occupation army's maneuvers in the Gaza Strip, and an important element in the settlers' aspirations to return and settle in the northern Gaza Strip, where the settlers held mass events at the entrance to the axis, which constitutes an outlet for them to different areas in the region."

About two weeks ago, the occupation army withdrew from parts of the Netzarim axis to allow the return of displaced Palestinians from the south of the Gaza Strip to its north, under the truce deal. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of displaced people returned in a majestic scene.

For his part, a senior Hamas official said that Israel's "failure to commit" to implementing all the terms of the truce agreement puts the ceasefire in Gaza at risk of collapse, while talks on its second phase have not yet begun.

Hamas politburo member and former Gaza health minister Bassem Naim warned that the agreement was in danger, but said the movement did not want to return to war, according to Agence France-Presse.

The fifth batch of prisoners was exchanged on Saturday, in the middle of the first phase of the six-week ceasefire agreement. Naim pointed out that "what we see of procrastination and lack of commitment in implementing the first phase and the attempt to create a political and international, diplomatic and media environment to pressure the Palestinian negotiators when entering the second phase, certainly puts this agreement at risk and thus may stop and collapse."

The occupation army burns its equipment

Scenes broadcast by Al Jazeera showed Israeli occupation soldiers burning military equipment as they withdrew from the Netzarim axis, which separates the northern Gaza Strip from its centre and south.

The occupation army had established the Netzarim axis, extending from Kibbutz Be'eri in the Gaza envelope to the Mediterranean Sea, with a length of 8 kilometers and a width of 7 kilometers, with the aim of isolating the north of the Strip from its center and south, and securing the movements of its forces between the military concentration areas.

Scenes documenting the burning of some equipment as the occupation forces left the "Netzarim" axis after the Israeli army issued an order to evacuate it tomorrow morning as part of implementing the ceasefire agreement in #Gaza #News #Gaza_War pic.twitter.com/r7JJfa71C2

— Al Jazeera Channel (@AJArabic) February 8, 2025

The axis is known in Israel as the center of military operations that followed the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip in October 2023, where it played a major role in dividing the Strip geographically and socially, leading to the isolation of thousands of families and the exacerbation of the humanitarian situation in the northern areas.

In a video clip broadcast by the Israeli Channel 12, an officer in the occupation army appeared instructing his forces to withdraw from the axis, indicating that the army "will return soon."

The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza went into effect on January 19, and includes three stages, each lasting 42 days. During the first, negotiations will be held to start a second stage, then a third, with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.

Source: Agencies + Al Jazeera