The IDF launched a limited ground operation in Gaza on Wednesday, two days after it resumed airstrikes on Hamas. This comes after the terror group received two weeks of a free ceasefire and didn’t release any hostages. The military has regained some areas in the Netzarim Corridor, which it withdrew from during the first phase of the ceasefire.
This is significant because the corridor is key to cutting off Gaza City from central Gaza. Hamas controlled central Gaza and parts of Gaza City throughout the 15-month war that began with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Securing the Netzarim Corridor was one of the first operations the IDF undertook once the ground offensive began on October 27, 2023. The IDF’s 36th Division rushed across the corridor to the sea, linking up with the 162nd Division coming from northern Gaza along the sea.
The corridor is named for the former Jewish community of Netzarim, which used to stand there, and it’s still a largely open area. The Salah al-Din Road that comes from southern Gaza crosses the corridor into Gaza City, and the Rashid Road along the coast also crosses it. These two roads are the ones Israel would need to cut and control to separate Gaza City from central and southern Gaza.
Hamas is strong in central Gaza. It controls Nuseirat, El-Bureij, Deir el-Balah, and Maghazi – all urban areas that have refugee camps. The terror group recruits young men from the camps and reportedly has up to 25,000 fighters in Gaza, having recruited many in the last months.
Hamas battalions suffered major losses between October and March 2024.
However, they have rebuilt. There are Hamas battalions in northern Gaza, such as the historic Daraj-Tuffah area of Gaza City. It also controls the Old City of Gaza and some of the environs.
It has returned to Jabalya, and some people have been sent back to Beit Hanun. However, much of northern Gaza was destroyed in fighting between October and December 2024 when the IDF sent numerous brigades under the 162nd Division to clear Jabalya and other areas.
During 2024, when the military controlled the Netzarim Corridor, it would use an armored brigade and infantry brigade under the command of the 252nd and 99th Divisions, who rotated every several months, to control the area.
Limited new offensive
In November, the 252nd left the corridor, but now, it appears it will secure the area in the limited new offensive. The corridor is an open area, and the IDF improved it with a road that links Gate 96 west of Be’eri to a road that leads to the Mediterranean.
During the ceasefire from January 19 to March 17, there were supposed to be inspections on the Salah al-Din Road so that Hamas could not move its forces easily back and forth. It seems the inspectors have left.
Returning to this area will make the IDF think twice about leaving again. In the 1970 film about US General George Patton, the general says, “I don’t like paying for the same real estate twice,” in reference to not having to retake an area already taken by military forces.
The IDF certainly doesn’t want to have to keep retaking Netzarim. However, the ceasefire deal brought 33 hostages home, so it was worth it. Now, it appears that the military was able to return to part of this area again – a crucial area that the IDF used before 2005 to cut Gaza into pieces so that violence and terror could not easily spread from the north to the south.
Israel is waging a phased campaign in Gaza that began with precision strikes on the night of March 17 that targeted numerous sites, including Hamas political and civil leaders. The small ground offensive is another stage.
There are other hints of things happening. The IDF also said it has “decided that the Golani Brigade would be stationed in the Southern Command area and will remain ready for operations in the Gaza Strip.” Golani was part of the push on October 27, 2023, to take the corridor, implying more operations to come.
