Experts fear Israel is creating a buffer zone in Gaza

Experts say the Israeli military systematically demolished buildings to create a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip, leaving many Palestinians homeless.

According to experts and human rights groups, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) plan to create a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip would take away a significant portion of this small piece of land.

Professor Adi Ben Nun at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said that after the Hamas attack in early October 2023, the IDF targeted structures within one kilometer of the border with Gaza, more than 30% of the buildings there were damaged or destroyed.

The January 22 incident that killed 21 Israeli soldiers sheds some light on the tactics the IDF uses to level the area around the border. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the explosion occurred while soldiers were “engaging in a defensive operation in the area separating Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip.”

According to the IDF, a group of Israeli soldiers were planting explosives to destroy two buildings when Hamas members used anti-tank guns to fire at a tank parked outside, causing an explosion that destroyed the structures. Israeli soldiers standing near or inside the buildings were killed.

Area where experts fear Israel could establish a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip (yellow). Graphics: AFP — Area where experts fear Israel could establish a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip (yellow). Graphics: *AFP*

Experts say forcing Gazans to leave their homes, including along the border, could violate the laws of war. Some groups say there is growing evidence that the IDF is making parts of the Gaza Strip uninhabitable.

The IDF declined to comment on the buffer zone information in the Gaza Strip.

Cecilie Hellestveit, an expert at the Norwegian Academy of International Law, warned of "the prospect of ethnic cleansing, transfer or lack of reconstruction forcing Palestinians to leave the area permanently".

The United States, Israel's top ally and military aid provider, has repeatedly said that the territory of the Gaza Strip and the buffer zone within it should not be changed in violation of that principle.

Human rights experts say Israel should use part of its territory to create a security buffer zone. Ken Roth, a professor at Princeton University in the US, said "if the Israeli government wants to create a buffer zone, it has the right to create it in much larger Israeli territory and does not have the right to seize land in the Gaza Strip".

Border security has become a top priority for many Israelis, experts say, and the return of Israelis to neighborhoods near the Gaza border will be seen as a sign that Hamas is no longer a threat.

Israeli armored vehicles and soldiers fight in the Gaza Strip on February 1. Photo: IDF — Israeli armored vehicles and soldiers fight in the Gaza Strip on February 1. Photo: *IDF*

Almost all of the 400 people who live in the Israeli settlement of Nahal Oz have not returned since Hamas’ October 2023 attack. “It’s not a place for children to go back to,” said Eran Braverman, a 63-year-old farmer. “A buffer zone like this would help a lot. I hope it will be established.”

Israel took control of the Gaza Strip in 1967, then unilaterally withdrew its troops and civilians from the area in 2005. However, Israel still controls almost the entire border with the Gaza Strip. A narrow no-go zone has been established along the border.

According to Hellestveit, Israel decided not to establish a buffer zone in the early 2000s, but the idea was revived two decades later. "With the war situation and the re-occupation of the Gaza Strip, the old plan was discussed again," Hellestveit said.

Nguyen Tien (According to AFP )

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