According to Haaretz, the goal is building the infrastructure for the military's prolonged stay in Gaza, at least in the first stage.

"The Israeli army won't withdraw before 2026," an officer serving in Gaza told Haaretz.

The Israeli army had already taken control of areas and roads in Gaza since the war erupted. However, data obtained by Haaretz showed that the work is now progressing at full speed, recalling the days before Israel's 2005 disengagement from the strip.

In northern Gaza, senior Israeli defence sources admitted that the Israeli army is currently ordered to empty Palestinian villages and cities of their residents as part of the Israeli so-called "Generals' Plan."

According to Haaretz, the area now became a kind of military enclave.

Israel has already seized 26 percent of Gaza. Now, Israeli settlers see their chance, the Israeli outlet said.

The extras in Gaza are nothing more than human dust, an Israeli TV reporter said.

"In recent months, the only thing the forces are asked to do in the area is to move the population to the south – and to flatten the buildings within a few kilometres of the logistic axes and the areas where the forces are staying in the entire territory of the Strip," a senior commander who served in Gaza until recently told Haaretz.

Credit: Planet Labs PBC / September 26, 2024 (from Haaretz)

“In all these places, military construction for the long term is being carried out," the commander said.

"These are not posts that are built for a month or two," he added.

By 24 October, dozens of buildings were flattened in the neighbourhood north of Beit Lahia.

The plan is not only designated for northern Gaza; the army is also working to hold more than four large areas in different parts of the strip.

One of the most prominent parts is the Netzarim corridor, which the army is currently working to widen and extend to the surrounding area.

Another area on Israel's new road map is the Philadelphi corridor. According to Haaretz, the army has already flattened large expanses on either side of it — about one kilometre in some places, as many as three in others.

In May, Gaza's Swedish Village stood near the Philadelphi corridor. By November, it was gone, with a new Israeli base being constructed, Haaretz reported.

Credit: Copernicus Sentinel, EO Browser (from Haaretz)