Israel planning to establish massive demilitarized zone along Gaza border fence
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Israel is planning to establish a broad demilitarized zone surrounding the Gaza Strip after completing its impending ground-assault in the Palestinian territory and eradicating Hamas, according to reports.
The expected DMZ would extend the length of the 40-mile fence already encircling the Gaza Strip, and would enhance the elaborate defensive measures already in place, according to CNN’s Nic Robertson, who spoke with Israeli ministers about the plan.
“That border fence area, that has an electronic border fence that has sensors on it, that has cameras on it, the wall behind it that drops down deep into the ground to protect against tunnels, and a small buffer zone behind that. That’s going to become much, much wider,” Robertson reported Thursday.
“A zone along the whole 67 kilometers of the border fence. We were told a zone that no one will be allowed to go into.”
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An expanded DMZ would provide Israeli Defense Forces with a deeper and wider range of fire across the border territory, and be instrumental in repelling any potential future incursions from Hamas terrorists.
The nearly 20-foot tall border fence currently in place — known as the “Iron Wall” — already has a more than 100 yard buffer zone people are not allowed to enter, along with high-tech defense measures like radar, sensitive motion sensors, a deep concrete foundation to deter tunneling, and an array of heavily-armed observation towers.
Construction on the “smart fence” began after 2016 and was completed in 2021, but Hamas terrorists were able to dramatically break through at numerous locations using carefully coordinated tactics against the understaffed defenses during its bloody October 7 sneak attack on Israel.
Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel
Over 200 hostages were taken in the attack, and around 1,400 were killed.
The DMZ would be established after armed Hamas forces are completely routed out from the Gaza Strip — a massive operation that has reportedly been given the “green light” to begin any day now.
“We shall do all efforts to bring our hostages, to bring our hostages [back] alive,” Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat told ABC News.
Israel-Hamas war: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip more than three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: Terrorist group Hamas wins a Palestinian legislative election.
2007: Hamas seizes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the town of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early-morning ambush Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli towns.
Terrorists killed more than 1,200 Israelis, wounded more than 4,200, and took at least 200 hostage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce, “We are at war,” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
The Gaza Health Ministry — which is controlled by Hamas — reported at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began.
Hamas claims to be holding hostages in tunnels under Gaza and Barkat said the underground network will be reduced to the “world’s biggest cemetery,” while promising to decimate the terrorist group “even if it takes a year.”
The lives of civilians and hostages, Barkat explained, would take a back seat to the greater goal of victory.
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