Satellite images have revealed that Israeli forces are conducting a large-scale demolition operation along a path that is one kilometer deep at the border with the Gaza Strip, further fragmenting the land on which Palestinians aim to establish their state. The Israeli military declined to confirm whether it has indeed begun establishing the buffer zone, which several Israeli officials have repeatedly claimed could protect their country from any future attacks similar to those that occurred on October 7. They merely stated that "many necessary measures are being taken to implement a defensive plan that provides better security in southern Israel." However, an anonymous Israeli government official confirmed that their forces have practically started creating a "temporary security buffer zone."
The extensive scope of the demolition operations raises many questions regarding this area, which seems unlikely to be temporary. Towards the southern part of the Strip, most land in the buffer zone consists of agricultural land adjacent to the massive border wall that cost one billion dollars to construct around Gaza. However, near the town of Khuza'a, where the border heads northwest, the situation is different. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed indescribable destruction in that area, where buildings have been razed by bulldozers across approximately 6 square kilometers (2.3 square miles).
Just over 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to the north, agricultural lands have been turned into barren dirt along the anticipated buffer zone. Similarly, in the north, where the Al-Maghazi refugee camp is located in central Gaza, scenes of destruction do not differ. Vast areas have also been completely destroyed in the southeast of Gaza City. Several experts have confirmed that around 2,850 buildings could face demolition in this potential buffer zone, with 1,100 already damaged due to Israeli airstrikes. Others provided much higher estimates, claiming that at least half of the buildings in Gaza, approximately 143,900, have been damaged or destroyed during the war, particularly around Gaza City, which was targeted in the initial stage of the Israeli ground attack.
In the area where the one-kilometer-long buffer zone will be established, at least 1,329 buildings have suffered damage or destruction since the war began, as American analysts indicated. It is noteworthy that the Gaza Strip has been under severe blockade since October and is densely populated, with a border length of 60 kilometers (37 miles) with Israel, covering an area of approximately 360 square kilometers (139 square miles). However, the establishment of this buffer zone will consume about 60 square kilometers of it. Additionally, there is already a narrow buffer zone on the Gaza border with Egypt known as the "Saladin axis" (or Philadelphia Corridor), which was created as part of the peace agreement signed by Cairo with Israel in 1979.
