“Netzarim”: Gaza’s Most Beautiful Areas Turned into Desert by Israel

In the heart of the Gaza Strip lie vast expanses where no signs of life remain — cities, villages, and refugee camps have all been completely erased. Governmental, service, economic, and medical facilities have vanished without a trace, and hundreds of kilometers of agricultural land have been bulldozed. This is how the Israeli occupation army has turned the areas that make up the “Netzarim Corridor” into desolation. This corridor was established on the ruins of Al-Zahra city, the village of Al-Mughraqa, the village of Juhr al-Dik in central Gaza, and the southern neighborhoods of Gaza City, such as Sheikh Ajlin, Al-Nabulsi, and parts of Al-Zeitoun and Tel Al-Hawa neighborhoods.

Following the return of residents to the rubble of their homes after the ceasefire agreement on January 19, 2025 and their attempts to resettle, Israel resumed its war on March 18, 2025 with dozens of airstrikes targeting homes, tents, schools, and mosques. This led to nearly 500 martyrs and thousands of injuries*.

The attack included what is known as “fire belts” within the Netzarim Corridor, triggering a nighttime exodus from the corridor toward the south of the Gaza Strip.

We met 60-year-old Hajj Mahmoud Muneifi during his displacement to Deir al-Balah, carrying heavy belongings on his back, showing clear signs of exhaustion and hardship, accompanied by about 20 family members, mostly women and children.

Al-Mughraqa. Photo by Mohammed Al-Naami (March 19, 2025)

Mahmoud Muneifi said he woke up in panic in the tent he had set up on the ruins of his home in Al-Mughraqa village, central Gaza, after a series of violent airstrikes and the crying of his grandchildren. As the bombing intensified, a fire belt struck the lands adjacent to his tent within less than an hour, forcing them to immediately flee toward Nuseirat Camp, spending the night in a mosque opened for Ramadan worshippers.

He added, “We thought the war had ended and set up a tent for ourselves, only to be shocked by its return, more brutal and bloody. We escaped in total darkness with only our clothes and some blankets to Nuseirat. Now we are heading to Deir al-Balah. If we can’t find a place to set up a tent, we will continue toward Mawasi or Khan Younis. We know there’s no safe place — death has been close wherever we’ve gone. What we’re living is a nightmare with no end in sight.”

A few days before the war resumed, we visited the areas where the Netzarim Corridor barrier was established. We documented the destruction left by the Israeli army, including comprehensive devastation that stripped thousands of families of their homes and destroyed the entire infrastructure of these areas.

Al-Zahra City and hills of rubble. Photo by Mohammed Al-Naami (March 19, 2025)

Our first stop was Al-Zahra city in the western part of central Gaza, once the most beautiful area in the Strip in terms of architecture, roads, and green spaces. It was also a central hub for administration, education, and services, housing many government offices — including the Palace of Justice (court center), several universities, schools, hospitals, resorts, wedding halls, recreational areas, beachfront lounges, and commercial projects.

The occupation completely destroyed Al-Zahra city. Its devastated residents could no longer recognize their neighborhoods or even pinpoint where their homes and streets used to be, except for paths carved out by military vehicles through the rubble.

Due to the massive destruction and lack of services or livable conditions — and ongoing Israeli targeting even during the ceasefire — there was no significant return of residents to Al-Zahra.

Israel left behind only a few buildings in Al-Zahra that had been turned into military outposts, including the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital. However, with the war’s resumption and Israeli reentry into Netzarim and Al-Zahra, soldiers demolished this hospital, which had been undergoing renovation during the ceasefire in preparation to reopen.

We then headed east to Al-Mughraqa, north of Nuseirat Camp — a quiet, rural area where most residents were farmers. During the war, it was absorbed into the Netzarim Corridor, with at least one Israeli military site established there. On the western side of Salah al-Din Street, according to eyewitnesses, displaced people fleeing Gaza City southward were subjected to torture, abuse, and interrogation.

We also visited Juhr al-Dik, located east of Al-Mughraqa, stretching from Salah al-Din Street to the eastern border, bordered by Al-Bureij Camp to the south and Al-Zeitoun neighborhood to the north. Unlike other areas, Juhr al-Dik has a long history with Israeli wars, serving as an entry point during the 2008 and 2014 offensives. In both, the Israeli army devastated the village. In this current war, Juhr al-Dik became the central stronghold for the Israeli army’s control over the Netzarim Corridor and its main supply route.

Juhr al-Dik suffered the same fate as the rest of the Netzarim Corridor: complete destruction, including its farmlands — once considered Gaza’s breadbasket, producing vegetables, fruits, and livestock — all erased.

Site used as an Israeli military barracks near Al-Rasheed Coastal Road in Netzarim. Photo by Mohammed Al-Naami (March 19, 2025)

The Netzarim Corridor also encompassed parts of Al-Zeitoun and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods, and the entire Sheikh Ajlin area — all severely damaged. We observed the extensive destruction in southern Gaza City neighborhoods, whether within the corridor or overlooking it.

After the ceasefire and an assessment of the damage, the municipalities of Al-Zahra, Al-Mughraqa, and Juhr al-Dik declared these areas uninhabitable disaster zones due to Israel’s systematic destruction of all aspects of life.

Dr. Nidal Nassar, Mayor of Al-Zahra, stated in press remarks that the Israeli military deliberately destroyed all buildings and homes within the three municipalities’ jurisdictions, demolishing about 13,200 housing units and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

All educational facilities — including schools, universities, and kindergartens — were destroyed, estimated at 28 institutions, depriving thousands of students of their right to education.

Nassar added, “The occupation also destroyed and bulldozed over 100 kilometers of roads, disabled healthcare services by bombing and demolishing all hospitals and medical centers, and destroyed numerous public, governmental, and private facilities.”

He noted that total losses in the three municipalities’ areas are estimated at around one billion dollars across all sectors.

Regions Covered in Bones

Destruction was not the only hallmark of the Netzarim Corridor — also referred to by Palestinians as the “Corridor of Death.” Scattered bodies of martyrs, in skeletal form or completely decomposed with only clothes remaining, were found throughout the area.

Bodies were most often found in locations where military posts, interrogation centers, and refugee inspection gates had been set up, especially in northern Nuseirat Camp. Israel had created an unofficial, invisible line north of the central governorate and executed anyone who approached it.

A young man named Suhaib Dhiab reported visiting northern Nuseirat after the Israeli withdrawal from Netzarim, where he found many skulls and scattered bones. Some were identified through personal IDs nearby,while others had no identifiable belongings.

He said, “Since the withdrawal from central Gaza and until the war resumed, I’ve been going to the Netzarim area daily to collect firewood. Every day we’d find many bodies and bones — some headless — and we even found human remains in a barrel in Al-Mughraqa village. This proves the brutal executions the occupation carried out against displaced people.”

Dhiab confirmed that many bodies are still buried under sand, explaining that Israeli vehicles would cover them to shield soldiers from the effects of decomposition. He also said he had frequently encountered human bones while digging for tree roots.

*Editor's Note: This number is from the initial time of publishing of this report. Since the resumption of Israel's bombing campaign in March until the time of translation, at least 2,407 people have been killed.

This report was translated into English by Jehad Abusalim.