Gaza–Israel barrier

{{Short description|Border barrier between the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Israel}} {{pp-extended|small=yes}}

[[File:OCHA OpT September 2023 map of the Gaza Strip.pdf|thumb|429x429px|Map of the [[Gaza Strip]] in September 2023]] {{gaza blockade}}

The '''Gaza–Israel barrier''' (sometimes called the '''Iron Wall'''<ref>{{cite news|title=Israel completes construction of 'iron wall' around Gaza|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/israel-completes-construction-of-iron-wall-around-gaza-1.4749888}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Israel Unveiled 'Iron Wall' Security Barrier. Hamas Breached It.|url=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-gaza-rockets-attack-palestinians/card/israel-unveiled-iron-wall-security-barrier-hamas-breached-it--9ji8X2YublCh46LCK6JC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Israel completes 'iron wall' underground Gaza barrier|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/7/israel-announces-completion-of-underground-gaza-border-barrier}}</ref>) is an Israeli [[border barrier]] located on the Israeli side of the '''Gaza–Israel border'''.<ref name="Anne Barnard">{{cite news |title=Life in Gaza Steadily Worsens |first=Anne |last=Barnard |work=The Boston Globe |date=2006-10-22 |url=http://archive.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/10/22/life_in_gaza_steadily_worsens/ }}</ref> Before the [[Gaza war]], the [[Erez Crossing]], in the north of the [[Gaza Strip]], was the only crossing point for people and goods coming from [[Israel]] into the Gaza Strip. A second crossing point, the [[Kerem Shalom border crossing]], is used exclusively for goods coming from [[Egypt]] as Israel did not allow goods to go directly from Egypt into Gaza through the [[Egypt–Gaza border]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing |url=https://www.eubam-rafah.eu/sites/default/files/u173/Agreed%20Principles%20for%20Rafah%20Crossing.pdf |quote=''Use of the Rafah crossing will be restricted to Palestinian ID card holders ... Travelers, including returning residents, may use the crossing point to bring in personal effects as defined in Rule 1(e) to Heading 7 of the Annex to the prevailing Customs Tariff. Any other personal belongings or other goods shall be cleared at the Kerem Shalom crossing point.''}}</ref><ref name="Greg Myre" /> except for the [[Rafah Border Crossing#Rafah Land Port|Salah Al Din Gate]], which opened in 2018.

A fence along the border was first constructed by Israel in 1971<ref name="Sara M. Roy">{{cite book |author=Sara M. Roy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gXAqjgEACAAJ&pg=PA |title=The Gaza Strip |publisher=Institute for Palestine Studies USA, Incorporated |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-88728-321-5 |pages=105}}</ref> as a security barrier, and has been rebuilt and upgraded since. It was constructed by Israel to control the movement of people as well as goods between the Gaza Strip and Israel, which it could not achieve by normal border crossings.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}

There is also one crossing along the Egypt–Gaza border, the [[Rafah Border Crossing|Rafah Crossing]], which is limited to the crossing of people; as per Israel's demand, any cargo or goods that are to enter Gaza must go through Israel, usually through the Kerem Shalom border crossing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing |url=https://www.eubam-rafah.eu/sites/default/files/u173/Agreed%20Principles%20for%20Rafah%20Crossing.pdf |quote=''Use of the Rafah crossing will be restricted to Palestinian ID card holders ... Travelers, including returning residents, may use the crossing point to bring in personal effects as defined in Rule 1(e) to Heading 7 of the Annex to the prevailing Customs Tariff. Any other personal belongings or other goods shall be cleared at the Kerem Shalom crossing point.''}}</ref><ref name="Greg Myre">{{cite news |title=Gaza Crossing:Choked Passages to Frustration |first=Greg |last=Myre |work=The New York Times |date=2006-03-04 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/04/international/middleeast/04gaza.html?ex=1299128400&en=5ce2d89055b684dc&ei=5090}}</ref>

==Political background== In 1993, Israel and the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] signed [[Oslo I Accord|the first of the Oslo Accords]] establishing the [[Palestinian Authority]] with limited administrative control of the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]]. Pursuant to the Accords, Israel continues to maintain control of the Gaza Strip's [[airspace]], land borders (with the exception of Gaza's border with Egypt, abandoned by Israel in 2005), and [[territorial waters]].

In 2005, [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops]] from the Gaza Strip, along with thousands of Israeli settlers. Israel thus claims to have ended the occupation. However, this claim has been challenged on the basis that Israel continues to exercise control over Gaza's territorial waters and airspace, despite Gaza not being part of Israel and Gazans not having [[Israeli passport]]s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5122404.stm |title=Gaza crisis: key maps and timeline |work=BBC News |date=2009-01-06 |access-date=2011-05-28}}</ref>

The Gaza-Israel border straddles one of the starkest economic contrasts in the world (the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]] is the other): on the Israeli side GDP per capita is $55,000 and population density is low, while on the Palestinian side, the GDP per capita is $1,250 and population density is among the highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=On Strategy, Law, and Morality in Israel's Gaza Operation |url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/on-strategy-law-and-morality-in-israel-s-gaza-operation |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=lawfaremedia.org|date=17 October 2023 |last1=Wittes |first1=Benjamin }}</ref>

Commentators point out that fortifications like the ''Iron Wall'' will result in a more diabolical state of affairs not for the Gazans but for the Israeli society itself as it may never look past such metaphorical [[Stonewalling|stonewalls]] to reach a socio-political compromise with the Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web |title=יאיר אסולין עומד על המחיר הנפשי של חברה החיה כל העת בהעצמתו ולכן בצלו של "קיר הברזל". חברה שבמרכזה המאבק המתמיד להישרדות סופה לשלם מחיר פנימי בפתיחותה ובהתפתחותה; במושגיו של ז'בוטינסקי היא תשאר עם הכורח אך ללא משחק. |url=https://www.begincenter.org.il/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%A9%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%96%D7%9C-%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%96%D7%9C/ |date=29 March 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240117085905/https://www.begincenter.org.il/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%A9%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%96%D7%9C-%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%96%D7%9C/ |archive-date=17 January 2024 |language=he |last=Asulin |first=Yair }}</ref>

==Barrier structure == [[File:OCHA_OpT_September_2023_map_of_the_Gaza_Strip_(cropped).jpg|thumb|Section of the border barrier showing restrictions, September 2023.]] Israel started construction of the first {{convert|60|km|mi|sp=us}} long barrier along its border with the Gaza Strip in 1994. In the 1994 [[Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip]], it was agreed that "the security fence erected by Israel around the Gaza Strip shall remain in place and that the line demarcated by the fence, as shown on the map, shall be authoritative only for the purpose of the Agreement"<ref>{{cite web|title=Draft Agreement on the Gaza Strip and Jericho Area (archived copy) |date=1994-04-26 |work=Palestine Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture |url=http://www.pij.org/documents/Agreement%20on%20the%20Gaza%20Strip.PDF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812185516/http://www.pij.org/documents/Agreement%20on%20the%20Gaza%20Strip.PDF |archive-date=August 12, 2007}}</ref> (i.e. the barrier does not necessarily constitute the border). The initial barrier was completed in 1996.

Before the 2005 disengagement Israeli military maintained a one-kilometer buffer zone within Gaza along the border wall which prevented the militants to approach the border, sometimes with gunfire. After the IDF withdrawal the border became easily reachable by the Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2005/07/28/More-fences-to-surround-Gaza-Strip/13061122579202/|title=More fences to surround Gaza Strip|author=JOSHUA BRILLIANT|website=UPI Israel|date=28 July 2005}}</ref> Therefore, Israel launched the construction of the enhanced security system along the Gaza border, estimated to cost $220 million and to be completed in mid-2006.<ref name=wotri>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2005/me_gaza_08_01.html|title=Israel sets high tech zone to guard Gaza border|date=1 August 2005|website=World Tribune}}</ref>

It includes a 7-meter wall with sensors, remote-control machine guns and barbed wire in the three areas where the border runs adjacent to Israeli settlements.<ref name=wotri/> The land taken from the corresponding kibbutzim was compensated for, with some controversies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3140551,00.html|title=Kibbutz: No deal reached for using our land|date=11 September 2005 }}</ref>

Overall, the first barrier is a barbed-wire fence without sensors. The second barrier codenamed Hoovers A is 20 meters off and consist of a road and a fence with sensors. These existed before 2005. A new element is a 70-150 meter wide buffer zone codenamed Hoovers B with [[motion sensor]]s in the ground and surrounded by a new sensor-equipped fence with watchtowers every 2 kilometers, equipped with remote-control machine guns instead of soldiers, which could be targets of Palestinian snipers.<ref name=wotri/>

The barrier is patrolled both from the air and on the ground.<ref name=wotri/>

==Response from Gaza== The barrier has met with opposition and protests from some Palestinians in Gaza.<ref>{{cite web |date=2010-03-10 |title=Palestinians Protest The Israeli Wall Surrounding The Gaza Strip |url=http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58181 |access-date=2011-05-28 |publisher=International Middle East Media Center}}</ref>

The barrier was largely torn down by Palestinians at the beginning of the [[Al-Aqsa Intifada]] in September 2000, followed by many terror attacks.<ref name="Doron Almog">{{citation |author=Almog |first=Doron |title=Lessons of the Gaza Security Fence for the West Bank |date=2004-12-23 |volume=4 |url=http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief004-12.htm |access-date=2007-05-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213141925/http://jcpa.org/brief/brief004-12.htm |archive-date=2009-02-13 |url-status=dead |edition=12 |publisher=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs}}</ref> The barrier was rebuilt between December 2000 and June 2001. A one-kilometer buffer zone was added, in addition to new high technology observation posts. Soldiers were also given new rules of engagement,<ref name="Doron Almog" /> which, according to ''[[Ha'aretz]]'', allow soldiers to fire at anyone seen crawling there at night illegally into Israeli territory.<ref name="Amos Harel">{{cite news |title=IDF Kills Teen Crawling Toward Gaza Fence |first=Amos |last=Harel |author2=Issacharoff, Ari |work=Ha'aretz, English edition |date=2007-01-26 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/817452.html |access-date=2007-05-02 |archive-date=2021-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126054624/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/817452.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Palestinians attempting to cross the barrier into Israel by stealth have been shot and killed.<ref name="CTV1">{{cite news |title=Unarmed Palestinians Killed Scaling Gaza Fence |agency=Associated Press |publisher=CTV |date=2002-12-12 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1039695730947_45// |access-date=2007-05-02 |archive-date=2008-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220224305/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1039695730947_45/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The barrier has been effective in preventing [[terrorism|terrorists]] and [[suicide attack|suicide bombers]] from entering Israel from Gaza. Since 1996, virtually all suicide bombers trying to leave Gaza have detonated their charges at the barrier's crossing points and were stopped while trying to cross the barrier elsewhere.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060704/gaza_map_060704/20060704?hub=Specials&pr=showAll |title=The Gaza Strip: Maps and Fact File |work=CTV |date=2006-07-04 |access-date=2007-05-03 |archive-date=2008-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220224325/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060704/gaza_map_060704/20060704?hub=Specials&pr=showAll |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Mitchell |last=Bard |author-link = Mitchell Bard |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/fence.html |title=Israel's Security Fence |encyclopedia=Jewish Virtual Library |date=2007-01-09 |access-date=2007-05-03 }}</ref> On 14 March 2004, a suicide bomber originating from within the Gaza Strip successfully carried out an attack in [[Ashdod]], Israel.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barasch |first1=Daniel B. |last2=Qadir|first2=Lala R. |title=Overcoming Barriers: US National Security Interests and the West Bank Separation Barrier |page=20 |publisher=John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University|url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/cchrp/pdf/danlala.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806135818/http://www.hks.harvard.edu/cchrp/pdf/danlala.pdf|archive-date=August 6, 2012}}</ref>

The barrier's effectiveness prompted a shift in the tactics of Palestinian militants who commenced [[Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel|firing Qassam rockets and mortars over the barrier]].<ref name="Doron Almog" /><ref name="Bradley Burston">{{cite news|first=Bradley |last=Burston |title=Background: Hamas vs. Abbas:The Lethal Wildcard, A Profile |work=Haaretz |access-date=2007-05-02 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=529909&displayTypeCd=1&sideCd=1&contrassID=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212113702/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=529909&displayTypeCd=1&sideCd=1&contrassID=2 |archive-date=February 12, 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:Trophy APS - operational.jpg|thumb|A [[Merkava|Merkava Mark IV]] tank patrols the Gaza border (February 2012)]] [[File:460_Brigade_Jabalia,_may_2024_(3).jpg|thumb|Israeli soldiers crossing the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip, [[Gaza war|Gaza War]], May 2024]] On 27 December 2008, Israel launched the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|2008 Gaza War]], consisting of airstrikes and ground incursions against targets in the Gaza Strip, with the stated aim of stopping the rocket fire<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100924052547/http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE50423320090105 TIMELINE – Israeli-Hamas violence since truce ended], Reuters 05-01-2009</ref> from and arms smuggling into the territory.<ref>Bright, Arthur. [https://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2008/1226/p99s01-duts.html Israel set to launch ‘limited operation’ in Gaza], [[Christian Science Monitor]], December 26, 2008.</ref><ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{cite news |author=Rory McCarthy |date=2009-09-16 |title=Israel rejects war crimes findings of UN Gaza inquiry |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/16/israel-rejects-war-crimes-gaza |access-date=2010-05-08 |newspaper=Guardian |location=Jerusalem}}</ref> The war ended on 18 January 2009, when both sides ceased military action.<ref name="xinhua one week">{{cite news |title=Hamas leader in Syria announce one-week ceasefire in Gaza |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/18/content_10679186.htm |publisher=Xinhua |date=2009-01-18 |access-date=2009-08-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129074845/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/18/content_10679186.htm |archive-date=2009-01-29 }}</ref><ref name="cbc.ca one week">{{cite news |title=Hamas agrees to 1-week ceasefire |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/hamas-agrees-to-1-week-ceasefire-1.781294 |publisher=CBC News |date=2009-01-18 |access-date=2009-08-03}}</ref> Israel completed its withdrawal on 21 January,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/18/israel.gaza/index.html|title= Hamas, Israel set independent cease-fires|website=CNN International}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7841902.stm|title=Last Israeli troops 'leave Gaza'|website=BBC News|date= 21 January 2009}}</ref> and thousands of rockets and mortars have been fired from the Gaza Strip since.

===Support for a similar Egypt–Gaza barrier=== {{main|Egypt–Gaza barrier}}

Palestinian Authority President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] declared support for the [[Egypt–Gaza barrier]], adding: "It is the Egyptians’ sovereign right in their own country. Legitimate supplies should be brought through the legal crossings",<ref>{{cite news |title=Mahmoud Abbas: Israel's West Bank occupation leading to one-state solution |first=Seumas |last=Milne |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/31/mahmoud-abbas-israel-west-bank |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 January 2010 |access-date=11 September 2016}}</ref> although he made no such comment towards Israel's sovereign rights. The United States announced its support for the Egypt-Gaza barrier saying it would prevent weapons smuggling.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3833615,00.html |title=US supports Egyptian underground barrier on Gaza border |website=Ynet |date=12 January 2010}}</ref> Cairo's main [[Al-Azhar University]] officially backed the government's decision for an Egypt-Gaza barrier saying that it was the "state's right to build along its walls facilities and obstacles that will enhance its security."<ref>{{cite news |author=Nahmias, Roee|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3829273,00.html|title=Arab protests against Egypt's Gaza border wall spread|website=Ynet|date=4 January 2010}}</ref>

===Tunnels under the barrier=== {{Main|Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip}}

[[File:IDF-D9-clearing-path-by-User-Shoual-3.jpg|thumb|[[IDF Caterpillar D9R]] armored bulldozer working in the Palestinian side of the Israel-Gaza barrier in order to expose explosive devices]] Because of the effectiveness of the barrier in stopping infiltration of Israel by militants, they adopted a strategy of digging tunnels under the barrier. On 25 June 2006, Palestinians used an 800-metre tunnel dug over a period of months to infiltrate Israel. They attacked a patrolling Israeli armored unit, killed two Israeli soldiers, and captured another one, [[Gilad Shalit]].<ref name="CBSNews">{{cite news |title=Palestinian Militants Attack Border |work=CBS News |date=2006-06-25 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/palestinian-militants-attack-border/ }}</ref>

Between January and October 2013, three other tunnels were identified – two of which were packed with explosives.<ref>Fiske, Gavriel and Ginsburg. (13 October 2013). "[http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-terror-tunnel-found-running-from-gaza-to-israel/ IDF blames Hamas for ‘terror tunnel’ from Gaza to Israel Defense minister halts transfer of construction supplies to the Strip after 500 tons of cement used to construct underground passage]"</ref> The discovery of similarly constructed tunnels in other parts of the world have led to updated [[threat assessment]] estimates.<ref>Lichtenwald, Terrance G. and Perri, Frank S. (2013). "[http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/support-files/terrorist-use of-smuggling-tunnels.pdf Terrorist Use of Smuggling Tunnels]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}" International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, Volume 2, pp. 210-226.</ref><ref>Lichtenwald, Terrance G. and Perri, Frank S. (2011)."[http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/support-files/tunnels.pdf Smuggling Tunnels: The Need for a Transnational Analysis]" Inside Homeland Security Volume 9, Issue 1.</ref>

During the [[2014 Gaza war]], Israel encountered Hamas militants who popped out of tunnels into Israel and attacked soldiers along the border. After the war, Israel located and destroyed 32 tunnels. In 2018, Israel destroyed three new tunnels.<ref name="under">{{cite web |title=Israel Speeds Up Underground Border Wall To Block Gaza Tunnels |website=[[NPR]] |date=24 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129135848/https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/01/24/579180146/israel-speeds-up-underground-border-wall-to-block-gaza-tunnels |archive-date=2023-01-29 |url-status=live |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/01/24/579180146/israel-speeds-up-underground-border-wall-to-block-gaza-tunnels |last1=Estrin |first1=Daniel }}</ref>

=== Underground anti-tunnel barrier === In response to the large number of tunnels being dug, which could be used for infiltration by militants, in mid-2017, Israel began construction of an underground border wall several meters in depth along the border.<ref name=under /> This '''anti-tunnel barrier along the Gaza–Israel border''' (sometimes referred to as the '''smart wall on the Israel–Gaza border''')<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.walla.co.il/item/3073318|title = מעקב וואלה! News: צה"ל מאיץ את בניית הקיר החכם בגבול עזה - וואלה! חדשות|date = 21 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.walla.co.il/item/3063207|title = מנופים ומקדחים: מתרחבות העבודות לבניית "הקיר החכם" בגבול עזה - וואלה! חדשות|date = 10 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.walla.co.il/item/3073318|title=מעקב וואלה! News: צה"ל מאיץ את בניית הקיר החכם בגבול עזה - וואלה! חדשות|date=21 June 2017}}</ref> is an underground [[slurry wall]] constructed by [[Israel]] along the entire {{convert|40|km|mi|sp=us|adj=on}} length of the Gaza–Israel border to prevent infiltration into Israel by digging [[Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip|tunnel]]s under the Gaza–Israel barrier. The project includes [[digging|excavation]] to classified depths, and the construction of thick [[concrete]] [[wall]]s combined with sensors and [[alarm]] devices.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001188322|title = הפתרון לאיום המנהרות של חמאס נבנה ב-3 מיליארד שקל?|newspaper = Globes|date = 12 May 2017|last1 = חדשות 2|first1 = רוני דניאל}}</ref>

In mid-2017, Israel began construction of the underground wall several metres in depth.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/01/24/579180146/israel-speeds-up-underground-border-wall-to-block-gaza-tunnels|title=Israel Speeds Up Underground Border Wall To Block Gaza Tunnels|work=NPR.org|access-date=2018-04-21|language=en}}</ref> The barrier is equipped with sensors that can detect tunnel construction.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/18/israel-unveils-plans-40-mile-underground-wall-around-gaza/|title=Israel unveils plans for 40-mile underground wall around Gaza|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|date=2018|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-04-21|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

The underground anti-tunnel barrier, and 81% of the barrier above the ground, was completed in March 2021.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-completes-underground-anti-tunnel-barrier-surrounding-gaza/ IDF completes underground anti-tunnel barrier surrounding Gaza]</ref> The whole project was completed in December 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kan.org.il/Item/?itemId=101526 | title=הסוף לאיום המנהרות: המכשול התת קרקעי בגבול עזה הושלם סופית לפני כשבוע | work=כאן-תאגיד השידור הישראלי }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/1638891792-israel-announces-completion-of-gaza-barrier | title=I24NEWS | date=7 December 2021 }}</ref> The project had been estimated to cost 3 billion [[Israeli new shekel|shekels]] ($833 million)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180119230729/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israeli-army-reveals-plan-to-stop-hamas-gaza-tunnels-1.5441731 Israeli Army Reveals Massive Barrier Being Built to Stop Hamas' Gaza Terror Tunnels]</ref> to 3.5 billion shekels ($1.11 billion).<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-12-07/ty-article/.premium/israel-completes-vast-billion-dollar-gaza-barrier/0000017f-ee2c-d4cd-af7f-ef7c25d40000 Israel Completes Vast, Billion-dollar Gaza Barrier]</ref><ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-12-07/ty-article/.premium/israel-completes-vast-billion-dollar-gaza-barrier/0000017f-ee2c-d4cd-af7f-ef7c25d40000 Israel Completes Vast, Billion-dollar Gaza Barrier (Archive)]</ref>

The wall is located entirely on Israeli land.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/18/israel-unveils-plans-40-mile-underground-wall-around-gaza/|title=Israel unveils plans for 40-mile underground wall around Gaza|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|date=2018|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2018-04-21|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The anti-tunnel barrier was completed in March 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-completes-underground-anti-tunnel-barrier-surrounding-gaza/|title=IDF completes underground anti-tunnel barrier surrounding Gaza|website=Times of Israel}}</ref>

====Detections==== In October 2020, sensors in the underground structure identified a Hamas tunnel. An Israeli military official called the tunnel "The most significant tunnel we have seen to date, both in terms of depth and infrastructure".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caspit| first=Ben|date=2020-10-23|title=Israeli technology exposes Gaza attack tunnel, challenges Hamas|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/10/israel-gaza-strip-hamas-aviv-kochavi-idf-tunnel-iron-dome.html|access-date=2020-10-26|website=Al-Monitor}}</ref>

==Crossing points== From the Palestinian perspective, the crossings are crucial to the economy of the Gaza Strip and to the daily needs of the population.<ref name="Greg Myre" /> Chief [[Palestinian Authority]] negotiator [[Saeb Erekat]] analyzed the closures of the crossings and said they have "proven to be counter-productive".<ref>{{cite news |last= Dudkavitch |first= Margo |author2= Halpern, Orly |date= 2006-03-01 |title= Palestinians Reject Use of Kerem Shalom for Gaza Cargo |work= The Jerusalem Post |url= https://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=2&cid=1139395509058&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull}}{{dead link|date= November 2017 |bot= InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

===Israel–Gaza=== As of 2023, there were two open border crossings with Israel, with an additional option via an Israel–Egypt crossing. During the war ensuing from the [[October 7 attacks|October 7 Hamas attack]], two more emergency gates were eventually opened for aid convoys.

====Kerem Shalom Crossing==== The [[Kerem Shalom Crossing]] is the main cargo crossing, used by trucks carrying goods from Israel or Egypt to the Gaza Strip. Managed by the [[Israel Airports Authority]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Yaakov Katz and Shelly Paz |date=8 July 2008 |title=Kassam materials caught at border |url=https://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=88793 |access-date=6 August 2012 |work=The Jerusalem Post}}</ref>

====Erez or Beit Hanoun Crossing==== {{Main|Erez Crossing}}

[[File:ErezCrossing.jpg|thumb|left|Erez Crossing]] The Erez or Beit Hanoun Crossing is the only one open for people. A pedestrian and cargo crossing into Israel, it is located in northern Gaza. The crossing is currently restricted to Arab residents under the jurisdiction of the [[Palestinian Authority]] and to [[Egypt]]ian nationals or international aid officials only, and is closed to tourists. Palestinians who have a permit to work in Israel or those with permits allowing them to receive free medical treatment or to visit immediate family who are in prisons may use this crossing when it is open for pedestrian travel.<ref name=PCHR>{{cite journal|title=Report by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights on the Closure imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip |journal=Palestinian Centre for Human Rights |date=1996-05-16 |version=Closure Update No. 9 |url=http://www.pchrgaza.ps/files/Reports/English/Closeup9.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219111445/http://www.pchrgaza.ps/files/Reports/English/Closeup9.htm |archive-date=February 19, 2008}}</ref>

Though 5,000 Palestinians are permitted to use the Erez Crossing to go to their places of work inside Israel, the crossing was frequently closed by the Israeli authorities, impeding their ability to get to work.<ref name="Greg Myre" /> Additionally, the permits issued have not always been honoured by soldiers, who in some cases confiscated them at the crossing.<ref name="PCHR" />

On 7 October 2023, Erez Crossing was attacked and destroyed by Hamas. It remained closed until 1 May 2024, when it was reopened for aid transports heading into Gaza.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-reopens-erez-crossing-for-gaza-aid-trucks-7-months-after-it-was-destroyed-by-hamas/|title=Israel reopens Erez crossing for Gaza aid trucks 7 months after it was destroyed by Hamas|website=Times of Israel|access-date=1 May 2024|date=1 May 2024}}</ref>

====Gate 96 emergency crossing==== On 12 March 2024, as a "pilot project", the 96th gate in the security fence (near Kibbutz [[Be'eri]]) was used by a convoy of six trucks taking humanitarian aid to northern Gaza under IDF protection.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/12/israel-hamas-war-latest-03-12-2024/43448f52-e03e-11ee-95aa-7384336086f3_story.html|title=Ship with food aid leaves for war-torn Gaza; Israel says 100 rockets fired from Lebanon|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=13 March 2024|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref> Gate 96 is slowly becoming a fixture during the war allowing aid to reach Gaza City directly, be it on a minor scale.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68659025|title=Gaza war: Gate 96, the new crossing where aid struggles to get in|author=Lucy Williamson|website=BBC News|date=25 March 2024}}</ref>

===="Northern Crossing" emergency gate==== On 12 April 2024, a newly built wartime emergency crossing for humanitarian aid was opened near Kibbutz [[Zikim]].<ref name= ZKM>{{Cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-first-convoy-of-aid-trucks-enters-gaza-through-new-northern-crossing/ |title=IDF: First convoy of aid trucks enters northern Gaza through new land crossing|author=Emanuel Fabian|website=[[Times of Israel]]|date=12 April 2024}}</ref> The content of the trucks is checked by the IDF at the Kerem Shalom border crossing facility.<ref name= ZKM/>

====From Israel via Egypt==== *[[Nitzana Border Crossing]] between Israel and Egypt is an additional nearby option.<ref name=Magid>{{Cite news |author=Jacob Magid|date=7 December 2023|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-to-open-kerem-shalom-crossing-for-gaza-aid-inspections-for-first-time-since-war-started/|title=Israel to open Kerem Shalom Crossing for Gaza aid inspections for first time since war started|website=[[The Times of Israel]]|access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> It is connected by road to Sinai and the town of El Arish, which in turn connects to Gaza via the Egyptian border crossings.<ref name=Magid/> During the 2023 war, aid trucks entered the Strip via El Arish, Nitzana, where the contents were inspected by Israel, and into Gaza.<ref name=Magid/> Nitzana crossing, however, was not designed for the processing of trucks and cargo.<ref name=Magid/>

====Permanently closed==== *[[Karni Crossing]] (1994–2011) *[[Sufa, Israel#Border crossing|Sufa Crossing]] (1994–2008)

===Egypt–Gaza=== These are being used for shipments from Israel in conjunction with the [[Nitzana Border Crossing]] (see above). *[[Rafah Crossing]], designed primarily for pedestrians, but used during the 2023 war as the main entry for aid trucks<ref name= Magid/> *[[Salah al-Din Gate]] (area plan with gate see [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/31/israel-egypt-gaza-philadelphi-corridor/ here]<ref>{{cite news |title= Egypt-Israel ties in jeopardy over intensifying Gaza border dispute |author= Claire Parker and Heba Farouk Mahfouz|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date= 31 January 2024 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/31/israel-egypt-gaza-philadelphi-corridor/ |access-date= 31 March 2024}}</ref>), since February 2018 a secondary commercial border crossing 4&nbsp;km northwest of Rafah Crossing, and named after Salah al-Din Road, the Strip's main north–south thoroughfare.<ref name="DC">{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/new-gaza-crossing-raises-questions-about-blockade-policies|title= New Gaza Crossing Raises Questions About Blockade Policies|author=Neri Zilber|website=[[The Washington Institute for Near East Policy]]|date=23 October 2019|access-date= 7 December 2023}}</ref> Before 2018, the gate allowed two-way humanitarian access for Gaza and Sinai residents, but didn't serve commercial purposes.<ref name="DC" /> It was repurposed in 2018, when Hamas militants manned the Gaza side and taxed incoming cargo, which included goods with controversial [[dual use]] (civilian and military),<ref name="DC" /> apparently without much external supervision.<ref name=Magid/> As of July 2023, "goods have also entered Gaza regularly from Egypt, via the Rafah crossing, controlled by the Egyptian authorities, and then through the adjacent Salah Ad Din Gate, controlled by the local authorities."<ref name="OCHA">{{cite web |url=https://www.ochaopt.org/content/movement-and-out-gaza-update-covering-july-2023|title= Movement in and out of Gaza: update covering July 2023|website=[[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] (OCHA)|date=15 August 2023|access-date=17 December 2023}}</ref> Since 2018, the Salah Ad-Din Gate has seen a steady growth in traffic, so that in 2022/2023, over 50% of the construction materials, 25% of the food and c. 40% of non-food items entered the Strip through Salah Ad-Din Gate crossing.<ref name="Sep23">{{cite web |url=https://unsco.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/unsco_ahlc_report_-_september_2023.pdf |website=Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO)|title= Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC)|date=15 September 2023|access-date=17 December 2023}}</ref> In 2023, c. 36% of the total imports to the Strip arrived through the Gate.<ref name="Sep23" />

==See also== * [[Gaza war]] * [[Egypt–Gaza barrier]] * [[Israeli West Bank barrier]] * [[2018–2019 Gaza border protests]] * [[Bar Lev Line]] * [[Negev]] * [[Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip]] * [[Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels]]

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== * {{cite magazine |url= https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/2004-03-01/how-build-fence |title= How to Build a Fence |first= David |last= Makovsky |author-link= David Makovsky |publisher= [[Foreign Affairs]] Magazine |url-access=subscription |magazine= Article preview |date= Mar 2004 |url-status= live |archive-date= April 5, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070405132104/http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20040301faessay83206/david-makovsky/how-to-build-a-fence.html }}

{{Borders of Israel}} {{Gaza war}} {{coord missing|Israel}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaza-Israel Barrier}} [[Category:Borders of the Gaza Strip]] [[Category:Borders of Israel]] [[Category:Border barriers]] [[Category:Fortifications in Israel]] [[Category:Fortifications in Palestine]] [[Category:Counterterrorism in Israel]] [[Category:Gaza–Israel conflict]] [[Category:Israel–Gaza Strip border|Barrier]] [[Category:1990s establishments in Israel]] [[Category:Blockade of the Gaza Strip]]