Analysis of Israel’s plans for post-war Gaza, including corridors, surveillance and long-term security measures
Israel has been fighting in Gaza for more than a year, and the important question is what Israel’s final plan for Gaza will be. Many political commentators have their ideas and understanding but my take on this is that Israel will make major changes in the Gaza Strip and it has been taking those steps.
There have been visuals coming from Gaza showing that Israel has undertaken massive reconstruction in various parts of the strip. They are doing the key work along the Gaza-Egypt border. The aim for the state of Israel would be to create a buffer to avoid another attack like that of October 7, 2023. The Philadelphia corridor is the border between Gaza and Egypt, and this is what Israel would like to control. Israel would aim to develop a vast network of watchtowers, fortified with checkpoints, to monitor the movement of people within post-war Gaza. This will strengthen the security make Hamas vulnerable and reduce its attack capabilities.
The Israeli security apparatus knows that it is difficult to destroy the military capabilities of Hamas. Still, the IDF’s goal would be to reduce Hamas’s military assets and to weaken it to a point where it does not pose any threat to Israeli security. These watchtowers would aim to detect any movement by Hamas from the tunnels if they ever emerge. The ultimate aim of the Israeli state would be to split Gaza into multiple chunks, each operated and controlled independently. The main point of contention between Hamas and Israel has been who would control the Philadelphia corridor. Israel has continued its work on the Philadelphia corridor and has been doing so from the time it entered the strip. However, the strength of Hamas is its tunnels. Hamas has a prodigious network of tunnels across the Gaza Strip. These tunnels form the main nucleus through which Hamas directs its operations. From the very beginning of the conflict, control of these tunnels has been a primary objective for the IDF, which aims to cut off Hamas’s access to resources. No one, including the IDF, knows the extent of the tunnel network.
For Hamas, the Philadelphia corridor is the lifeline of its military operations, as it often smuggles weapons through it, which is why it has refused to hand over control of the corridor to the Israelis. While Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has focused on deploying troops along the Gaza-Egypt border, the Egyptians will not agree to this. We must consider the 1979 peace treaty, whereby the Philadelphia corridor was to remain a buffer between the two nations. However, recent Israeli actions indicate a sense of urgency, leading to these unilateral decisions.
The Philadelphia corridor is 14 km long and 100 m wide, connecting Egypt’s Sinai to Gaza’s Rafah. Israel has been resolute on the issue of a long-term military deployment along the Philadelphia corridor. Under the 1979 agreement, Israel could station troops in that region, but the force should not exceed four infantry battalions. In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling illegal settlements and military installations. After Hamas took over Gaza, Israel enforced a complete blockade, leaving Rafah as the only option for exit. To adapt, Hamas created a vast network of tunnels to conduct its affairs and military activities. Many people do not realize the scale of the tunnel network beneath Gaza, but estimates suggest it is far more intricate and extensive than most realize.
Between 2011 and 2015, Egypt destroyed 2,000 of these tunnels within Rafah. In May 2024, the IDF controlled the Philadelphia corridor, intending to stay to prevent Hamas from consolidating. By controlling Rafah, Israel aims to end the influx of weapons into Gaza. Currently, Israel’s focus extends beyond the Philadelphia corridor to the Netzarim corridor, which will be 6 km long and 2 km wide, bisecting Gaza City from the rest of the Strip. Netzarim, named after an illegal settlement vacated in 2005, would mark the establishment of a new corridor They expect to earmark this area for future Jewish settlements, potentially including parts of northern Gaza or even all of it. The Netzarim corridor will host military bases to monitor the movement of people.
Another buffer zone Israel plans to create would extend from the port of Khan Younis towards the Israeli town of Kissufim. This corridor would involve a permanent Israeli military presence in Khan Younis, creating a divide between Deir al-Balah in the south, Gaza City in the north, and Khan Younis. Currently, three major corridors or buffer zones are planned, with calls for resettling Gaza and the possible creation of a separate area for Jewish settlers in the north. Satellite imagery from Gaza has hinted at the establishment of a separate designated area, Beit Hanoun, carved out of Gaza City.
Israel’s military tactics make it clear that the country is comfortable taking a long-term approach.. Israel’s strategy would be to turn Gaza into a surveillance hub, monitoring every corner and person. Israel also plans to seek support from U.S.-based groups like Global Delivery Company to deliver aid to Palestinians, but only after thorough screening. Israel has significantly weakened Hamas, reducing its capacity from an organization capable of launching a thousand rockets in an hour to a small, localized guerrilla unit. Israel aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping, replenishing its ranks, or launching an attack similar to that of October 7.
References
- Amnesty International. Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Amnesty International. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/report-israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/.
- Holmes, Oliver, and Bethan McKernan. “Fears Grow That Israel Plans to Seize Land Amid Gaza Siege as Netanyahu Hints at War Aims.” The Guardian, November 2, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/02/fears-grow-israel-plans-seize-land-gaza-siege-netanyahu-war-aims.
- Ashrawi, Hanan. “The Israeli Generals’ Plan for Northern Gaza Is Unlikely to Succeed.” Al Jazeera, October 16, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/10/16/the-israeli-generals-plan-for-northern-gaza-is-unlikely-to-succeed.
- “Netanyahu Mulls Plan to Empty Northern Gaza of Civilians and Cut Off Aid to Those Left Inside.” The Hindu, October 30, 2024. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/netanyahu-mulls-plan-to-empty-northern-gaza-of-civilians-and-cut-off-aid-to-those-left-inside/article68752387.ece.
- “Israel Generals’ Plan: Starve Hamas in Northern Gaza, Create Military Zone, Says Benjamin Netanyahu.” India Today, October 14, 2024. https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/israel-generals-plan-starve-hamas-northern-gaza-military-zone-benjamin-netanyahu-2616345-2024-10-14.
- Middle East Eye. “Israel-Gaza: What Is the Israeli Generals’ Plan?” Middle East Eye. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/explainers/israel-gaza-palestine-what-generals-plan.
- Vatican News. “Israeli General Idan Landau’s Plan and Israeli Strategy for North Gaza.” Vatican News, November 2024. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2024-11/israeli-idan-landau-general-s-plan-israeli-strategy-north-gaza.html
- Wilson Center. A Plan for Postwar Gaza. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/plan-postwar-gaza.
- Plan International. Gaza Middle East Crisis Appeal. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://plan-international.org/emergencies/gaza-middle-east-crisis-appeal/
The writer is a student of Peace and Conflict Studies
Jibran Malik
ji************@***il.com