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Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip
Photo: RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS
Preparing for the next phase of the war: According to a media report, the Israeli army is expanding a road across the Gaza Strip in order to maintain security control over the Palestinian coastal area indefinitely. The US newspaper “Wall Street Journal” reported this on Tuesday, citing unnamed defense officials.
The gravel road divides the sealed-off coastal strip south of the city of Gaza from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean coast along an east-west corridor that has been occupied by Israeli troops since the start of the war against the terrorist organization Hamas a good four months ago.
The road expansion is part of Israel's efforts to reshape the topography of the Gaza Strip, the report said; Similar military infrastructure projects have already been carried out in the Palestinian West Bank. This will allow the military to continue to move quickly through the coastal area on a safe route even after most troops have withdrawn. Israel already controls key north-south roads in Gaza.
The expansion of the road shows how the Israeli army is preparing for the next phase of the war, in which it plans to withdraw from populated areas and focus on targeted attacks against Hamas, it said. The east-west route should be used and patrolled until Israel's military operations are completed. This could take months or even years, it said, citing Israeli officials.
Israel says it has no plans to permanently occupy the Gaza Strip. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel wants to retain "complete security control" over the area after the war.
The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7th in Israel near the border with Gaza. On the Israeli side, more than 1,200 people were killed and another 250 were taken hostage. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. Because of the many civilian casualties and the massive destruction in the Gaza Strip, Israel has come under strong international criticism.