Israel withdraws from strategic Netzarim corridor in Gaza as Hamas claims 'victory' – IDF vows to return

The Israeli military began its planned withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza on Saturday in accordance with the internationally brokered agreement between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.

In a video on social media, an IDF officer commented on the Israeli withdrawal from the area.

“We will return here, don’t worry. Hamas is regrouping, and so are we,” the IDF officer stated. “We will bring back all the hostages, the Trump Plan will be implemented, and we will return to settle all the communities here,” the officer added.

Footage showed Israeli troops burning abandoned equipment to prevent it from falling into the hands of Hamas operatives. However, the IDF has refrained from publicly commenting on the destruction of such equipment in the area.

The Netzarim Corridor is considered a strategically important location as it physically divides the Gaza Strip into a southern and northern half, limiting the movement of Hamas terrorists across the enclave.

Hamas presented the planned Israeli withdrawal as a “victory” for the severely degraded terrorist militia.

Speaking to the Qatari news outlet Al-Araby, Hamas’ media office chief vowed that Hamas "will restore movement between the districts of the Gaza Strip." He said that "the withdrawal is one of the most important achievements of our people. International organizations have begun gradually returning to northern Gaza. We have renovated the UNRWA headquarters in the north to resume aid work there, and we expect the agency’s workers to return now."

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri stated that the withdrawal from the Netzarim area was “humiliating” for the Jewish state and claimed that it constituted "a declaration of Netanyahu’s defeat and failure to achieve his goals or maintain his hold on Gaza’s territory."

Zuhri added, "In 2005, (then-Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon withdrew from Gaza even though he used to say, ‘Netzarim is like Tel Aviv.’ These invasions have repeated themselves, but the result is the same – Gaza remains resilient against invaders."

Israel Defense Forces previously used its presence in Netzarim to exert pressure on Hamas during the ongoing war. In January, the IDF temporarily closed the Netzarim Corridor, which prevented Gazans from moving north after Hamas initially refused to release the Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud.

At the time, the Israeli government stated, “As a result, it was decided that the Gaza crossing into the northern Gaza Strip would not be approved. Since yesterday until now, many efforts have been made with the United States and the mediators to bring about Arbel's release. It was expected that Hamas would create difficulties and continue its psychological warfare on the way to implementing the agreement. We are determined to bring about the return of all the abductees, both living and dead.”

The withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor will now potentially allow Hamas terrorists to move more freely within the Gaza Strip.

However, that does not mean that the IDF is not working in the Gaza Strip to enforce the ceasefire. The military announced Sunday afternoon that it fired on a group of Palestinians who approached the border in the northern Gaza Strip, opposite the community of Nahal Oz. The suspects approached an IDF position in the buffer zone. After the suspects continued approaching the IDF position, troops moved forward and fired at the suspects, with several hits identified. Following that, the suspects withdrew from the IDF position. 

Palestinian media reported that three people were killed in the exchange. In a separate incident, Palestinian media reported that a woman was killed near Khan Younis, reportedly by IDF fire. 

Despite the IDF withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor, the Israeli military has continued to warn Gaza residents from approaching the Israeli troops, the border, or the IDF-controlled buffer zone within the Gaza Strip. 

Meanwhile, Israeli forces still control the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land on the border between southern Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. The Philadelphi Corridor is crucial as Hamas has previously used it to smuggle weapons and supplies from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military presence in the area has significantly hindered Hamas’ ability to rearm. As a result, Hamas has not surprisingly demanded an Israeli withdrawal from the corridor.

In September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that Israel would only agree to the withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor in phase 2 of the ceasefire deal with Hamas. While the Israeli government seeks to secure the release of the maximum number of Israeli hostages, Netanyahu warned that an Israeli withdrawal from the area of the Philadelphi Corridor would be a security risk for Israel.

“Once we left the Philadelphi Corridor, Iran could carry out its plan to turn Gaza into a base, a terrorist enclave, that would endanger not only the communities around it but would endanger Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheva,” Netanyahu warned.