Unveiling the Gaza Buffer Zone: Satellite Images Expose Ongoing Destruction by Occupation Forces

Watan-The analysis conducted by the Associated Press agency, based on satellite images, revealed new destruction operations carried out by the occupation army deep within one kilometer on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip.

This comes as part of an attempt to establish a “buffer zone,” a step insisted upon by the occupation army and met with much international opposition and warnings.

The agency stated that images from the company “Planet Labs BBC” showed extensive destruction of buildings and land excavation in a 6-square-kilometer area in the Khirbet Khazaa area east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

It added that the creation of the buffer zone would consume about 60 square kilometers of the total area of Gaza, which is approximately 360 square kilometers.

The agency pointed out that the occupation army refused to answer its question about whether it is currently establishing a buffer zone on the Gaza border, but it admitted to demolishing buildings along the border.

Israeli Admission

On the other hand, an official in the Israeli government, who requested anonymity, stated that there is a temporary buffer zone under construction.

The United States, which provides massive military support to Israel and political cover for its war on Gaza, has repeatedly declared that it does not support the occupation of the Gaza Strip or the establishment of a buffer zone or any proposal that would reduce the size of the Gaza Strip after the war.

However, Egyptian and Western diplomats told the agency that Israel informed its Western allies and Arab countries in December of last year that it intends to establish a buffer zone.

The agency quoted American analysts as saying that the targeted area, one kilometer deep, has witnessed the demolition or destruction of at least 1,329 buildings since the beginning of the war.

The agency emphasized that this destruction is only a small part of what has befallen the entire Strip due to the war, as one estimate indicates that half of the buildings in the Strip have been completely or partially destroyed.

The Washington Post previously revealed that the occupation army has been building a buffer zone since last November, one kilometer deep along the Gaza border.

The Wall Street Journal also quoted an Israeli soldier as saying that the orders they received are to evacuate an area one kilometer wide along the border, as part of an Israeli plan to build a secure area within the Strip that Palestinians will be prohibited from entering.