This week, the Israeli army completed the construction of a new road running east to west across the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where a five-month-long conflict between Israel and the radical Palestinian group, Hamas, has been unfolding. Stretching just under seven kilometers, the road begins near Be’eri, an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza border, and extends through the entire Strip to the Mediterranean Sea. Satellite images from the United States company Planet Labs, released on March 6th, reveal that the road has reached the sea, effectively dividing the northern part of Gaza from the rest of the territory.

The Israeli military asserts that the road serves as an “operational support point” to facilitate the movement of troops and equipment in the area. It is significantly wider than existing roads in the region, allowing the passage of heavy military vehicles. However, concerns have been raised, with many speculating that the construction of this road is part of Israel’s plan to maintain an indefinite presence in the Gaza Strip, based on statements from Israeli government and military officials.

Several high-ranking officials and experts have weighed in on this development. Retired General Jacob Nagel, former head of the Israeli National Security Council and former Security Adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated to the B.B.C.’s Arabic division that the road would enable Israel to enter and exit with total defense, security, and responsibility for Gaza. He described it as “a road that divides the northern part from the southern part.”

Critics argue that the road construction could be a strategic move to establish control and impede the return of Palestinians to the northern part of Gaza, consistent with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan for the region presented in late February. This plan suggests that even after the end of the war, the Israeli military would maintain “unlimited freedom” to operate within the Strip whenever there are security risks to Israel. Such a stance directly contradicts the positions of various allied and concerned countries, including the United States.

The construction of the road began in late October 2023 but gained increased attention in recent weeks as it neared completion. B.B.C. News compared recent satellite images with those from the start of construction, revealing over five kilometers of newly built road connecting previously unlinked routes. Notably, several civilian buildings, primarily warehouses and condominiums, were demolished to create these new sections. C.N.N. verified a TikTok video showing the destruction of a building that may have been the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, located in the area and inactive since November. The Israeli military claims that the hospital sat above a network of tunnels used by Hamas, justifying its destruction. In addition to the road construction, the Israeli military is demolishing thousands of civilian buildings along the Gaza-Israel border, establishing a “buffer zone” approximately one kilometer wide.

This development raises questions about the broader implications for peace and security in the region. As the road nears completion, international observers are closely monitoring the situation, considering the potential consequences of a divided Gaza and the long-term impact on the peace process. The occupation of the northern part of the Gaza Strip would be a further and outrageous case of occupation deployed by the state of Israel, similar to what has been going on in the West Bank. My stance is that the international community should actively engage to stop the ongoing massacre that is being deployed in the Gaza Strip and start promoting a fair peace process, avoiding Israel to occupy part of the Palestinian territories.