By Hosni Nadim
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army continued on Wednesday to blow up homes and residential buildings around the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors in the war-torn Gaza Strip, according to local sources.
Several buildings were detonated around the Netzarim Corridor in the Zeitoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City and Al-Zahra town south of the city, one source told Anadolu.
The Israeli army also destroyed several residential buildings near the Philadelphi Corridor in Rafah in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt, another local source said.
According to the sources, the home detonations aim to widen Israeli military presence in the area and consolidate Israeli control around the two axes.
The two corridors have been a sticking point in negotiations aimed at reaching a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas.
While Israel insists on maintaining a military presence at the two corridors, Hamas calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on several occasions that he would not withdraw army forces from the axes, putting an obstacle to efforts to reach a cease-fire and prisoner swap deal with Hamas.
For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
More than 41,200 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,400 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar