The Inferno of “Netzarim”: The Axis of Death from Sharon to Netanyahu

The “Netzarim” axis has become a haunting concern for the Israeli occupation as resistance operations escalate, turning it into a graveyard for over 30 soldiers since the beginning of the year, according to statistics from the Israeli military.

Death stalks Israeli soldiers in “Netzarim” from every direction—whether by sniper fire, suicide drones, or sudden raids by Palestinian resistance forces that catch the occupying forces off guard.

But what is the story behind Netzarim? What about Sharon’s broken promise and Netanyahu’s impossible dream?

“Netzarim”: A Line Between Life and Death

Netzarim is a corridor separating Gaza City and its northern regions from the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. It stretches approximately 7 kilometers, from the Be’eri settlement in the east to the Mediterranean coast in the west.

The name “Netzarim” was originally given to a settlement established there before 2005, later known as the Martyrs’ Junction due to the many lives lost there during the early days of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, including the child Muhammad al-Durrah and ambulance driver Bassam al-Balbisi.

The area is bordered to the north by the Zaytoun neighborhood and to the northwest by Sabra and Sheikh Ajleen. It is adjacent to Juhr al-Dik and al-Mughraqa, with Salah al-Din Street cutting through its middle, and the cities of Zahra and Asra lying to its south-central and southwestern borders.

The Netzarim settlement was at the heart of the “Five Fingers” settlement project proposed by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 1971 when he was the commander of the southern region. This project involved five settlement blocs stretching from the Gaza coast to the Sinai, making Netzarim a strategic military and settlement base.

The settlement was established in 1972 and evacuated in mid-2005 by Sharon’s orders, who had once vowed that Netzarim would remain as secure as Tel Aviv.

The Israeli occupation aimed to use this area as a dagger in Gaza’s side, cutting off its connections, increasing the suffering of its residents, and ensuring the expansion of settlements. The tales of Palestinian suffering at the axis checkpoints before the withdrawal were countless.

An Old Yet Renewed Trap

Netzarim has long been a target of Palestinian resistance, especially after the second Intifada in 2000. The area witnessed deadly attacks that claimed the lives of many Israeli soldiers and settlers. Notable incidents include:

• • The killing of nine soldiers in September 2000 by a roadside bomb, and the destruction of the first Merkava tank in mid-2001.

• • On May 25, 2001, martyr Hussein Abu Nasr from the Jabalia camp drove a truck filled with explosives targeting a military outpost near Netzarim, turning Abu Nasr into a symbol for fighters in the region.

• • In March 2002, a resistance fighter from the Al-Quds Brigades killed two settlers in Netzarim before being martyred.

• • In 2003, two resistance fighters stormed the military protection base of the settlement, sparking a fierce battle that resulted in the death of three soldiers. Martyr Samir Foudeh was killed in the operation, while the second fighter managed to retreat. The operation was a joint effort between the Al-Quds Brigades and Al-Qassam Brigades.

The Al-Aqsa Flood

The torment of the Netzarim axis for the occupation renewed with the intensification of battles in the Gaza Strip. The axis became a deadly trap for convoys, vehicles, and soldiers, with dozens killed in the “Corridor of Death.”

One of the most famous operations was the Maghrafah ambush in April, where Al-Qassam fighters lured two Israeli forces into separate minefields using explosive devices and F-16 fighter jets, which were launched by the occupation against civilians but did not detonate. This ambush resulted in 14 Israeli soldiers and officers being killed or wounded.

Resistance operations in the axis continued, involving sniping, shelling, and clashes, with around 30 soldiers killed since the beginning of the year. According to the Hebrew Broadcasting Authority, the 16th Brigade lost eight of its soldiers in just a week and a half of operations in the Netzarim axis.

The latest attack was carried out by fighters from the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, on occupation forces stationed in a building on the Netzarim axis.

The fighters clashed with Israeli soldiers on the ground floor of the building, with sounds of intense fighting heard between the two sides.

The Impossible Standoff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on maintaining a presence in the Netzarim corridor, despite Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, demanding a withdrawal as a key condition in any exchange deal.

Netanyahu stated last week that “under no circumstances will Israel leave the Netzarim Corridor or the Philadelphi Route,” claiming they are “strategic assets” for the occupation state.

The corridor now consists of three cross-sectional lines: the first for armored vehicles, the second for other vehicles and cars, while the third houses gathering sites for soldiers and ammunition depots.

According to Hebrew media, the Israeli army has surrounded the corridor with massive concrete and earthen barriers, along with advanced surveillance equipment and watchtowers, aiming to protect its forces from resistance attacks. However, these measures have proven futile.

Given the high frequency of resistance operations in the axis, the area has become an easy target, allowing fighters the freedom to maneuver and carefully select targets. The geographic line is one that the occupation couldn’t secure even when the resistance had limited capabilities—how can it now, with the qualitative leap witnessed in the Gaza battles?

Netanyahu’s insistence on staying in the axis mirrors Sharon’s vow not to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and echoes the words of the Israeli army chief during the 2014 war, Benny Gantz, who spoke of the possibility of returning the residents of Gaza’s periphery to admire the anemones, only to see settlers fleeing again under mortar fire.