A buffer zone in a northern section of the Gaza Strip, little more than a half-mile wide and barred to Palestinians, has turned into a "no man's land" that U.S. officials reportedly worry will stoke fears of a permanent Israeli occupation.
The Wall Street Journal reported the area along the border is meant to be a security zone just inside Gaza.
"It was mostly agriculture. Now it's a military zone, a complete no man's land," an unnamed soldier told the Journal.
To Israeli officials, a buffer zone is a vital security measure in their plan to demilitarize Gaza and assure Israelis they can return safely to the towns and communities near the border that were evacuated after the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people.
But U.S. officials worry that turning the border along the 25-mile-long Gaza Strip into a no man's land worsens Palestinian fears that Israel intends to occupy all or part of the crowded enclave.
"We've been very clear about our opposition to the forced displacement of people," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday, WSJ reported. "We've been very clear about maintaining in effect the territorial integrity of Gaza."
Blinken hinted that Washington might accept a zone temporarily, but Israeli officials have given no timetable for its presence. Israel already had a no-go zone for Gazans near sections of the border before Oct. 7 though restrictions were loose, the Journal reported.
Israel's military said in a statement it was removing "terror infrastructure," calling it "imperative … in order to implement a defense plan that will provide improved security in Southern Israel," WSJ reported.
Already demolished are 1,072 out of 2,824 structures located one kilometer or less from the border, with most being residential, the Journal reported. The Israeli military said it was "locating and destroying terror infrastructures embedded, among other things, inside buildings," WSJ reported.
Shaul Arieli, a former Israeli colonel who served in Israel's Gaza division and is now an expert on Israeli borders, told WSJ that a permanent buffer zone inside Gaza likely would be illegal under international law.
Israeli officials have asserted they don't intend to permanently occupy Gaza, but want to maintain "security control" for an indefinite period, in addition to a buffer zone.
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