Battle of Netzarim

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Battle of Netzarim
Part of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war
Date30 October 2023 – present
Location
Netzarim Corridor, Gaza Strip, Palestine
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
Units involved

Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg  Israel Defense Forces

Flag of Palestine.svg Palestinian Joint Operations Room

Casualties and losses
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Unknown Flag of Palestine.svg Unknown

The Battle of Netzarim is an ongoing battle in the Israel-Hamas war, inside the Gaza Strip. The fighting is centered around the Netzarim Corridor, a road built by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which runs through the middle of the Strip and has been used for launching military operations against Hamas-led Palestinian forces. [10]

Contents

Background

Netzarim was an Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip which was built in 1972 and dismantled in 2005 during the Israeli disengagement from the territory. [11] The IDF captured the site of the former settlement during the 2008-2009 Gaza War, which ended with a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from the Strip. [12] [13]

The IDF named the present corridor after Netzarim, since it includes the site of the former settlement. [14]

Battle

The IDF captured the area that would become the Netzarim Corridor during the early stages of its invasion into the Gaza Strip. On 30 October 2023, IDF troops were confirmed to have entered the area of the former Netzarim settlement with infantry and tanks. [15] [16] [17] The next day Hamas claimed it attacked IDF vehicles there. [18] However, the first verified Hamas operations at the site of the former Netzarim were on 5 November. [19]

By 6 November, the IDF "had cut an informal, winding track" across the Gaza Strip which reached to the coast. [10] On 24 November, it was reported that the IDF would "continue administrative and logistical movements on the Netzarim axis and coastal road in the northern Gaza Strip". [20] Completion of the corridor was ultimately finalized between 5 March and 9 March 2024. [10]

Palestinian Islamic Jihad conducted two separate attacks on the Netzarim Corridor in December 2023. [21] [22]

From March to April 2024, the two sides clashed regularly in the area. The IDF launched raids into the northern and central Gaza Strip, [23] [24] [25] while Palestinian forces launched multiple artillery and rocket attacks on the Netzarim Corridor. [2] [26] [27] [3] By 7 April, following a series of successive withdrawals from the Gaza Strip, the Netzarim Corridor became the only area where the IDF was deployed. [28] [29]

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies reported on 8 May that the Netzarim Corridor had become "a magnet" for repeated Palestinian attacks, [1] with the Tehran Times reporting a similar observation on 20 July. [30] Nonetheless, the IDF continued military operations from the Corridor during this time. One IDF officer reported that troops have consistently found evidence of Palestinian militant activity, such as weapons and explosives, in almost every building they search near the area. [31]

On 17 August, an IED trap set by the al-Qassam Brigades was triggered in Netzarim. The Israeli army acknowledged 2 soldiers were killed, including a sergeant major. [9]

During the 1 October Iranian airstrikes on Israel, Iran claimed that some missiles they launched hit IDF positions in the Netzarim Corridor. [32] [33] That same day, the IDF repelled an apparent ground attack by dozens of "Palestinian suspects" approaching the Corridor. [34]

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References

  1. 1 2 Frantzman, Seth J. (May 8, 2024). "The Netzarim corridor has become a magnet for Hamas attacks". Foundation for Defense of Democracies . Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "IRAN UPDATE, MARCH 17, 2024".
  3. 1 2 3 "IRAN UPDATE, APRIL 18, 2024".
  4. 1 2 "IRAN UPDATE, JULY 20, 2024".
  5. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, AUGUST 15, 2024".
  6. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, JULY 25, 2024".
  7. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, AUGUST 1, 2024".
  8. 1 2 3 "IRAN UPDATE, AUGUST 2, 2024".
  9. 1 2 Fabian, Emanuel (August 12, 2024). "Army says a second reserve soldier was killed by roadside bomb in Gaza". The Times of Israel .
  10. 1 2 3 "What Israel's strategic corridor in Gaza reveals about its postwar plans". Washington Post . May 17, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Israel completes Gaza withdrawal". The Guardian . August 22, 2005.
  12. ↑ "Hamas agrees to 1-week ceasefire". CBC News. January 18, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Last Israeli troops 'leave Gaza'". BBC . January 21, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  14. ↑ Celine Alkhaldi, Allegra Goodwin and Richard Allen Greene "Israeli road splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast, satellite imagery shows" CNN March 8, 2024
  15. ↑ Berger, Miriam; Harb, Hajar; Booth, William (October 31, 2023). "Israel tanks penetrate deep into Gaza, as Hamas hostage video emerges". Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Mapping Israel's ground assault into Gaza". Washington Post . October 30, 2024.
  17. ↑ Kottasová, Ivana (October 30, 2023). "Israeli ground operation seemingly intensifying in Gaza, CNN crews report". CNN .
  18. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, OCTOBER 31, 2023". Institute for the Study of War .
  19. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, NOVEMBER 5, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  20. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, NOVEMBER 24, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  21. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, DECEMBER 1, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  22. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, DECEMBER 14, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  23. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, MARCH 16, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  24. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, APRIL 20, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  25. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, APRIL 24, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  26. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, MARCH 19, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  27. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, MARCH 21, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  28. ↑ Fabian, Emanuel (April 7, 2024). "IDF withdraws ground troops from south Gaza, leaving just one brigade in whole enclave". The Times of Israel .
  29. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, APRIL 29, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Gaza resistance pounds IOF at "Netzarim"". Tehran Times . July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  31. ↑ "IRAN UPDATE, JULY 1, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Iran launches more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel". www.bbc.com. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Iran hits Israel's Netzarim military facility and Tel Nof intelligence unit". Tehran Times. October 1, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  34. ↑ "IDF: Troops open fire after Palestinian suspects approach in Gaza's Netzarim Corridor; 3 reported dead". The Times of Israel. October 1, 2024.
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