Israel begins its withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza, leaving destruction behind, as displaced Palestinians return home on foot.
The Israeli army is in the final stages of withdrawing from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, as part of the ceasefire deal with the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, according to Israeli media.
The corridor has served as a military zone that not only cuts the Gaza Strip into two but severely restricted Palestinian movement for months during Israel’s genocidal assault on the enclave.
The withdrawal was set to begin overnight into Sunday “marking the full military pullback from northern Gaza,” the Israeli Ynet news website reported.
The Times of Israel meanwhile reported that the occupation forces “would only maintain a presence in a buffer zone of up to around one kilometer inside Gaza.”
Israeli occupation forces set fire to remaining belongings before withdrawing from the Netzarim corridor in Gaza.
Israeli soldiers burn everything before withdrawing from the Netzarim Corridor, saying, “We will leave nothing for the Gazans.”
Under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army is scheduled to withdraw from the corridor on Sunday morning.
During the genocide, the corridor… pic.twitter.com/BXOrEivEJd
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 8, 2025
In footage shared by various media outlets, the occupation forces were seen setting fire to belongings ahead of their withdrawal.
“We will leave nothing for the Gazans,” they reportedly said in the video.
Scores Return Home
The withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor follows the Israeli army’s retreat from the northern part of the corridor last week, allowing more than half a million displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza.
In powerful scenes of determination, the displaced made the trip back home on foot along the coastal road, which had been blocked for months by Israeli occupation forces or via the Salah al-Din street, where vehicles were stopped and searched before being allowed to pass.
The Netzarim Corridor “had become a symbol of Israel’s military presence in Gaza, with right-wing settler activists viewing it as a potential foothold for re-establishing Jewish settlements in northern Gaza,” YNet news reported.
US Security Contractors
Following the Israeli military pullback, private US security contractors took over checkpoint operations on the corridor, the report noted.
Last month, Axios reported that private US security contractors would oversee a key Netzarim checkpoint and deploy armed guards to the enclave.
The IDF has been withdrawing from the Netzarim Corridor overnight. https://t.co/WsXzZCgK2R
— Jon Elmer (@jonelmer) February 9, 2025
“The role of the U.S. contractors will be to inspect Palestinian vehicles that move from southern Gaza to northern Gaza and make sure no rockets or other heavy weapons are being transferred,” Axios reported.
Netzarim ‘Kill Zone’
In December, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli army officers revealed that an area along the Netzarim corridor during the genocidal war on Gaza was a designated “kill zone” where “anyone who enters is shot.” Seven kilometers wide, the corridor had been “emptied” of Palestinians and their homes demolished for the construction of “military roads and military positions.”
‘Anyone who Enters is Shot’ – Israeli Army Officers Reveal ‘Kill Zone’ in Gaza
An army officer confirmed to Haaretz that “For the division, the kill zone” extended “as far as a sniper can see.”
Philadelphi Corridor
The Israeli army also still has troops deployed to the Philadelphi Corridor, in the Egypt-Gaza border area, the Times of Israel reported. As per the ceasefire agreement, Israel will have to complete its withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor on day 50 of the ceasefire, the report noted.
Trump’s Vision for Gaza: A ‘Riviera’ Built on Ethnic Cleansing
On Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched a delegation to Doha to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office confirmed that following a new exchange of Israeli captives in Gaza for Palestinian detainees on Saturday, he “ordered a delegation to be sent” to Qatar. Netanyahu, who is set to return from the United States on Sunday, plans to convene a “security cabinet meeting” on the matter.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
