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Israel Is Building a Road Bisecting Gaza
(Wall Street Journal) David S. Cloud - The Israeli army is expanding a road across central Gaza to facilitate its military operations, part of its plans to maintain security control there for some time. The corridor south of Gaza City stretches 5 miles from the Israeli border to the coast and will allow Israel's military to continue to move quickly along a secure route, even after most troops pull out. While the IDF plans to withdraw from populated areas, it is also building a 1-km. buffer zone just inside Gaza's border with Israel, where Palestinians would be barred from entry. U.S. officials have publicly voiced opposition to the creation of a buffer zone. Israeli officials say they have no intention to permanently occupy Gaza but plan to maintain "security control" there for an indefinite period. Israeli officials have said they don't intend to let displaced Gazans return to the north at least until military operations are complete there and a deal is reached to return the 130 hostages and dead Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7. IDF Col. (ret.) Miri Eisin called the east-west corridor "long-term temporary - certainly for all of 2024."