Road to Redemption
The IDF has taken control of 26% of the Gaza Strip, building bases and paving roads. Israel's religious right is already advancing towards its target. This is how it looks through the eyes of Israeli soldiers
Yarden Michaeli Avi ScharfJul 8, 2024
The Israeli army's occupation of parts of the Gaza Strip, for an undefined period of time, is one of the most dramatic developments in the war that began with Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
The IDF considers Israeli control over these areas as a strategic step, while Israel's political leadership is pushing to continue the war. In the ongoing cease-fire negotiations, Hamas is demanding that Israel withdraw from areas that have been occupied and to end the war. Despite reports suggesting progress in the negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear Israel may renew the fighting, and the parties are still far from reaching an agreement.
The army's activities in the occupied areas are diverse: expanding military bases, building infrastructure and even paving roads, all while under persistent Hamas fire. Based on satellite imagery analysis and other open sources, Haaretz calculates that the Israeli army now controls about 26 percent of Gaza.
A senior IDF officer discussing the territory under full IDF control in the heart of Gaza called it "an effort at prolonged occupation." But the military's activity also provides a tailwind for supporters of the reestablishment of settlements which were evacuated in 2005. Conditions for the emergence of a new reality are being created: an indefinite Israeli presence in Gaza.