The homes burned in the October 7 attack in Be’eri, on the Gaza border, are visible from outside the community, the road that leads to the Strip. Be’eri was one of those hardest hit by the Hamas attack. Since October 7, the area around the community has also become a center of activity for the IDF, partly due to the proximity to Gaza. It is also because the important area the IDF has carved out across Gaza, the Netzarim corridor, is accessed through the hills behind Be’eri.
The IDF has been fighting for seven months, nearly eight now, but looking over Gaza today, one wonders, with the main tactical achievements of the Netzarim corridor, what comes next?
This entrance to Gaza is called Gate 96, an important area of operations because it is here that Gaza City was cut off from central Gaza by the IDF during the first ground maneuver in late October. What began as the 36th Division crossing Gaza from Be’eri, through the rolling hills, spreading across Gaza in a rapid advance to reach the sea, has now become a permanent IDF presence. The Netzarim corridor takes its name from the Netzarim junction, as well as the Jewish settlement that was there before the 2005 Disengagement.
The Netzarim junction, before 2005, was important because it allowed the IDF to easily split portions of Gaza. Before 2005, the military had permanent troops in Gaza. Before Oslo, and the turnover of the cities in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, the IDF even ran the civil affairs of these areas.
Much of the Palestinian historical conflict began in these areas. The Mufti, Hajj Amin al-Husanyni, was relocated to Gaza after 1948. The Egyptian-backed Palestinian Fedayeen attacks began in the 1950s from Gaza, leading to the 1956 war. Gaza was a center of terror in the 1970s, the First Intifada began there, while the Second was deeply influenced by Gaza. Finally, Hamas emerged from the enclave.
Today, it seems, we have come full circle. The IDF is back in Gaza, and what happens in Netzarim could determine the course of the war. Why? This area links Israel to the sea and it is where the US-built pier is also located, on the Mediterranean side.
This is where Israel will decide whether to stay or to go. As the IDF appears to be developing the Netzarim corridor, this could dictate the strategy, which today the war lacks clarity in. However, the tail may end up wagging the dog of strategy in this case, and that tail is Netzarim – a logistical one, from where things enter Gaza via Gate 96.
Today, the area is patrolled by reservists from the 2nd Carmeli Brigade and the 679th Armored Reserve Brigade. Some of the men in the area have long experiences they can bring to Gaza, which is important because Israel is now still learning its way. It has already sent forces twice into Jabalya, located north of the corridor. Jabalya is also where it found the bodies of hostages, in the second entry. The 98th Division is currently there, utilizing what it learned in Khan Yunis back in December.
The IDF has also sent forces back into Beit Hanun, for at least the second or third time now; St.-Sgt. Betzalel Zvi Kovach succumbed to his wounds on Sunday, wounds sustained during fighting in Jabalya on Wednesday. Beit Hanun, despite being pummeled by the IDF in the past, continues to take its toll. The IDF has also cleared Zeitun, which abuts the Netzarim corridor, three times since October.
South of the corridor is another hornet’s nest of terrorists, the Hamas-controlled areas of the Central Camps: Nuseirat, Meghazi, Bureij, and Deir al-Balah. It appears the IDF has mostly eschewed operating in the densely-populated historic refugee camps throughout most of the enclave. Other historic sites include Shati, as well as one in Rafah and Jabalya; all tough areas.
The Netzarim corridor was successful in that it divided northern Gaza from the Hamas-held central camps. The IDF left Khan Yunis in April after the 98th Division fought there for four months. Cleared of Hamas, and some of its terrorist infrastructure removed, it appears now that Palestinians are returning to Khan Yunis.
Hamas will likely return with them, as it has everywhere else in Gaza. The second the IDF leaves, a vacuum is created and the enemy comes back – there is no alternative to Hamas, as things stand right now. It returns each time slightly weakened; each time the IDF operates it grinds the enemy down a bit, but not completely.
Strategy remains unclear
Yet the strategy remains unclear. There is no civilian authority alternative to Hamas, and the only area that appears to be in a kind of semi-permanent control is the Netzarim corridor, a mostly rural area with some evacuated homes. Terrorist infrastructure continues to be uprooted, but the enemy is also learning. Hamas posts videos of how it targets the IDF in the area, using snipers, which are learning from their mistakes. Hamas may be running low on mortars, rockets, RPGs, and other weapons, but the learning curve of insurgencies suggests that enemies will improve over time.
Hamas lost some of its battalions in the early days of fighting, but it also dispersed its men and went underground. It is clear now that Hamas is plotting the next stage. That of the IDF can be divided into several stages. It began with the shock of October 7, then an aerial bombardment campaign, which led to the first ground operation phase, a multi-day hostage deal, and the less intense campaign in December and January. Then, forces began to withdraw, which brought us to where we are now, in Jabalya and Rafah.
Israel is now re-learning what it means to be in Gaza for the long term. This means constructing things like temporary roads or protected areas or bringing in items like showers and toilets. In the end, the IDF also has to learn how to rotate units in and out. Reserve units saw a lot of service over seven months of war. If this war is to carry on, a long-term strategy depends on how this all works out.
In the late spring heat, the area between Be’eri and Gaza is festooned with trees and bushes. This area holds a lot of history. The first water line was built here in 1947, during the British Mandate and Australian troops passed here in 1917 during World War I. Before October 7, bikers would ride here, and there were parks to sit in under the trees. Everything has changed since then. The question today, looking over Gaza, is whether we are still waiting, and whether Hamas is getting stronger the longer it sits and learns this new method of war.