The Netzarim corridor is considered by displaced Palestinians in Gaza as a forbidden road to their homes. The four-mile-long corridor cuts through the heart of the Gaza Strip, separating Gaza City and the north from the central region and the south.
Before the war, the Netzarim area was nearly devoid of population, consisting mostly of agricultural land with only a few buildings housing institutions. While some homes were present, they were sparse.
During the war on Gaza, Israel took complete control of the area, demolishing all buildings within it. According to an analysis by Adi Ben-Nun of Hebrew University, at least 750 buildings were destroyed to create a “buffer zone.”
A new report by the left-wing newspaper Haaretz highlights allegations of indiscriminate killings by the Israeli army in the Netzarim area. When asked about the report’s details, the Israeli army dismissed the claims, describing the statements in the Haaretz report as “entirely baseless.”
Misbar’s analysis of the reported incidents in Netzarim presents a narrative that differs from the Israeli military’s official account.
Israeli Soldiers Report Indiscriminate Killings in Netzarim Corridor; Military Dismisses Claims
Haaretz recently published an article titled, “‘No Civilians. Everyone's a Terrorist’: IDF Soldiers Expose Arbitrary Killings and Rampant Lawlessness in Gaza's Netzarim Corridor,” featuring horrific testimonies from Israeli soldiers who served in the Netzarim corridor.
An Israeli commander in Division 252 told Haaretz that the Israeli army indiscriminately kills anyone who comes near the corridor. The kill zone extends as far as the Israeli sniper can see. After the shooting, bodies are left without being collected, allowing dogs to eat them. “It’s military whitewashing,” the Israeli commander described.
Soldiers do not need to obtain permission to kill anyone. The area is designated by commanders as a kill zone. “Anyone who enters is shot.”
The army requires soldiers to follow standard procedures after a killing, which include photographing bodies and collecting details when possible, then sending the evidence to intelligence to verify the militant status or at least confirm that they were killed by Israeli forces.
The senior Israeli soldier further stated that out of 200 bodies, only 10 were confirmed as Hamas members, with every Palestinian casualty being counted as a terrorist – even if they were just a child.
Inside this kill zone, Israeli units compete with each other. If Division 99 kills 150, the next unit aims for 200, and all of the victims are considered terrorists.
The Israeli outlet further describes horrific incidents, including the killing of a child who was later labeled a terrorist. An officer recounted one instance where a child approached from the south. The army responded as if it were a large raid, taking positions and opening fire for about a minute or two while soldiers laughed. When they approached the blood-covered body, they discovered the victim was just a boy, estimated by the officer speaking to Haaretz to be 16 years old.
After sending photographs of the boy to intelligence, they learned that he was a civilian, not a Hamas fighter. The soldier’s battalion commander later congratulated them for killing a terrorist, demanding they kill ten more the following day, stating: “Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist, no exceptions, no civilians. Everyone's a terrorist.”
The outlet also recounts stories of launching an airstrike on an adult with two children and opening fire from a tank to kill four unarmed people who passed by the corridor.
When confronted with this report, the Israeli army dismissed these accusations to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The army stated that all activities are “carried out in accordance with structured combat procedures, plans, and operational orders approved by the highest ranks in the (army).”
The Israeli army further claimed in its conversation with AFP that all strikes in Netzarim are conducted following mandatory procedures and protocols, “including targets that are struck in an urgent time frame due to essential operational circumstances where ground forces face immediate threats.”
However, facts from Gaza, including testimonies and documented videos from the Netzarim area, discredit the Israeli army's narrative regarding the existence of “immediate threats.”
Facts From Gaza Contradict the Israeli Military’s Official Narrative
Misbar’s team interviewed family members of those who went missing after crossing the Netzarim corridor to investigate the Israeli army’s official narrative.
Khalil al-Madhoun, a Palestinian who was forcibly displaced from his home in northern Gaza to the south, became overly bored and frustrated with living the displaced life in tents. He decided to risk his life and return to his home in northern Gaza, crossing the Netzarim corridor with nothing but a bag containing clothes.
His niece described Khalil’s disappearance to Misbar: “He left us on May 15,” she said. “We still cannot know whether he is alive or dead.”
Al-Madhoun’s family has reported his disappearance to every international and local authority, but they still have no updates. “His wife is trying [to report his disappearance] 24/7,” al-Madhoun’s niece said. “Without any result.”
Khalil is one of many displaced individuals who risked their lives attempting to return, only to go missing.
Waseem Abu Saada, another displaced young man in the south, attempted to return to his home in northern Gaza on July 29 but went missing shortly after.
Waseem’s family reported him missing and posted appeals on social media, but no one has contacted them since, Waseem’s brother told Misbar.
Waseem, who was studying computer engineering at al-Azhar University, one of the top private universities in Gaza, risked his life to return to Gaza City without even carrying a bag. He only took his wallet, which contained “some money that does not exceed 500 shekels (around 136 American dollars),” Waseem’s brother said.
When asked whether Waseem had any connections to political groups in Gaza, his brother categorically denied it.
“We pray to God that they (the Israeli army) release him as soon as possible. My brother is still young. He has no ties to anything, and what pushed him to go back to Gaza was a family problem,” Waseem’s brother concluded in his statement to Misbar.
On Palestinian social media, Facebook groups of Gazans and Telegram channels are full of appeals from the families of those who went missing in the Netzarim area, similar to Waseem, asking anyone with information about their loved ones to contact them.
One such appeal Misbar spotted was for a young man named Eid Nayel Abu al-Shaar, who suffered from a mental disorder. Eid headed to Netzarim but disappeared shortly afterward.
Misbar’s team searched for the names of the three individuals in the lists of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons shared by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society and by newly released detainees who report the names of their former inmates. However, we did not find any records of them.
The mere disappearance of such civilians in the Gaza Strip discredits the Israeli army's denial to AFP.
The army claimed that its actions in the Netzarim area were “conducted in accordance with the mandatory procedures and protocols,” suggesting that they did not breach international law. However, the disappearance of several unarmed civilians who could not pose a threat to Israeli soldiers does not reflect any adherence to international law.
International law requires parties involved in conflict to search for missing persons. According to Rule 117 of international agreements, each party to an armed conflict must search for persons reported missing by an adverse party. This obligation was not fulfilled by Israel.
Documented Incidents From Gaza Debunk Israeli Army’s Official Narrative
The Israeli soldiers who provided their testimonies to Haaretz described how the army kills people and leaves them for dogs. Several documented incidents align with their account.
Special footage from Al Jazeera aired on December 17, 2024, showed stray dogs in the northern areas of the Gaza Strip mauling the bodies of martyrs thrown in the streets, with others where only skulls remained.
The civil defense in Gaza accused Israel on Saturday of deliberately killing people and leaving their bodies to be mauled by dogs. In a statement, the Civil Defense said that Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted rescue teams and ambulances attempting to approach the bodies of those killed by Israel.
For the past fifty days, the Israeli army has completely prevented ambulance crews from retrieving the bodies of martyrs.
The mauling of bodies by stray dogs has made it difficult for the civil defense and emergency services teams in Gaza to identify the deceased.
Besides leaving bodies for dogs, Israeli soldiers also told Haaretz that some bodies were buried by a bulldozer in the sand.
Al Jazeera documented a video showing a similar incident on al-Rasheed Street, which connects the southern part of the Gaza Strip with the northern part, similar to Netzarim.
In March 2024, Al Jazeera uploaded a video showing the Israeli army killing two unarmed Palestinian civilians attempting to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip. One of them was waving a white cloth to indicate to the army that they were civilians. However, the army killed both of them. An Israeli bulldozer then buried their bodies, covering them with sand and garbage.
The Israeli army told Al Jazeera that the video “is edited and does not show the context of the incident,” adding that it had transferred its report “to the relevant professional bodies for review.”
However, the Haaretz article, published nearly eight months after the video aired, suggests that the Israeli army did not handle the incident as it should have. It should be noted that these documented videos align with Haaretz’s report and further debunk the Israeli army’s denial of it.
Read More
How U.S. Health Institutions Ignored Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis
Digital Warfare: Unmasking Two Networks Attacking Syria's Revolution
