Israeli road splitting Gaza in two

The Israeli military has planned to use a land corridor as it has widened to cut the Gaza Strip in half for at least a year for logistical purposes.

A road being built by the Israeli military splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast, a CNN analysis of satellite imagery shows. 

It’s part of a security plan to control the territory for months and possibly years to come, Israeli officials have said. 

The satellite image from March 6 reveals that the east-west road, which has been under construction for weeks, now stretches from the Gaza-Israeli border area across the entire roughly 6.5-kilometer-wide (about 4-mile-wide) strip, dividing northern Gaza, including Gaza City, from the south of the enclave. About 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) includes an existing road, while the rest is new. 

The report revealed a 1-kilometer buffer zone north and south of the highway, with Unit 601 of the Engineering Corps tasked with demolishing surrounding buildings.

The corridor will run through the former grounds of the Netzarim Settlement, which was evacuated in 2005 as part of then-prime minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement from Gaza.