Netzarim Corridor: Why the Israeli Army Had to Retreat from This Key Gaza Route

Tel Aviv (The Uttam Hindu): Israeli troops have withdrawn from the Netzarim corridor. Hundreds of Palestinians have started returning to northern Gaza in cars, carts loaded with mattresses and other goods. The withdrawal of Israeli troops has been done under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last month.

The Netzarim Corridor is a military corridor that separates the northern part of the Gaza Strip from the southern part. According to the Gaza ceasefire agreement, the deadline for withdrawal was February 9.

Israel built this corridor at the beginning of its war on Gaza, Al Jazeera reports. It is a closed military zone that stretches from Israel's Gaza border to the Mediterranean Sea and is about 6 km (3.7 miles) wide.

This corridor was a strategic move by the Israeli military – giving it access, control and surveillance.

“Israeli forces have demolished their positions and military checkpoints and completely withdrawn their tanks from the Netzarim corridor on Salaheddin Road, allowing vehicles to pass freely in both directions,” a Hamas official said on Sunday, referring to Salah al-Din Street.

The complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the corridor came a day after the fifth prisoner-prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel. On Saturday, the Palestinian group released three Israeli detainees in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

According to Hamas, Israel's full withdrawal from the corridor signals 'the continuation of the failure of the goals of the war of annihilation against the Palestinian people'.

The Netzarim Corridor is an area that turned into a major base for the Israeli army over the past 15 months. It is now completely devastated, with no buildings left. The Israeli army has bulldozed and destroyed most of the agricultural land.

The corridor is named after Netzarim, the last Israeli settlement in Gaza to be closed in 2005 by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as part of his plan for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.