IDF Gearing Up to Remain in Gaza Until End of 2025

The work is progressing at full speed. What was a dirt embankment with the rubble of destroyed buildings a few months ago is now a very active construction site. Wide roads are being built, cellular antennas are going up, water, sewage and electricity networks are going in and of course there are the buildings, some portable and others less so.

This isn't a new public housing project, it's a completely different type of project. Scenes similar to this one, near the Netzarim corridor, can be seen in additional places in the Gaza Strip. The development momentum is in full swing, and the goal – whether it is talked about openly or not – is clear: building the infrastructure for the military's prolonged stay in the field, at least in the first stage.

From the very beginning of the war, the Israel Defense Forces took control of areas and roads in the Strip. But data obtained by Haaretz demonstrated the size and scope today of the enclaves, which are beginning to recall the days before Israel's 2005 disengagement from the Strip. There's a road that resembles central Israel's Ayalon Highway on the Netzarim corridor, surrounded by a series of army posts, some newer than others. At Kissufim, too, there's a new road, alongside a staging ground and surrounded by exposed earth – at least for now.