Jerusalem, Feb 9 (EFE).- Three Palestinians were killed on Sunday when the Israel Defense Forces opened fire as they entered the buffer zone, the Netzarim corridor. The IDF confirmed to EFE that its forces opened fire on the group of Palestinians who came within 300 meters of the border in the Israeli town of Nahal Oz.
The Palestinians entered the buffer zone when leaving the Netzarim corridor (between 500 and 700 meters deep). According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa the deceased were trying to reach their homes.
“We call on citizens not to approach the eastern areas and Israeli military outposts and to follow the instructions of the competent authorities,” the Palestinian Civil Defense said.
On Sunday, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement in the Strip, the IDF had to completely abandon Netzarim, the east-west road it built to divide the enclave into two isolated halves and around which it established a buffer zone of some 47 square kilometers (29 square miles) (13% of Gaza’s territory), according to the Times of Israel.
The agreement included the passage opening from northern Gaza to the south for vehicles via the Salah al-Din Road, which runs through the strip parallel to the border with Israel.
Up until now, the Rashid Road has been used as a main route, which runs parallel to the coast and is accessible to pedestrians. However, due to the poor condition of the streets on the eastern side of Netzarim, vehicles have to pass through checkpoints on the western side.
By leaving Netzarim, thousands of Palestinians have gained access to areas of northern Gaza that for months have been off-limits to the army. When walking through the area, some have found bodies in the dirt or rubble. EFE
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