The so-called “Netzarim Corridor” has been in the news a lot lately, as its “opening” ushered in the much-awaited return of Palestinians to the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Half a million Palestinians headed back to their homes – most finding only rubble. Then on January 29, United States Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff visited the “Netzarim Corridor”, becoming the first US official to step on Gazan soil in more than a decade.
Foreign media has talked at length about this “strategic corridor” or “buffer zone”, as they call it, and its utility for Israeli “military operations” and for “controlling” Palestinians. But for us, the people living on its outskirts, Netzarim has been a living nightmare. It has inflicted unbearable pain and trauma on me and my family and on thousands of other Palestinians……more