Ceasefire talks continued last week Israel, USA, Egypt and Qatar A solution was sought to release the hostages and stop the war, but life continues in the trenches. Fox News Digital spoke with an IDF colonel who was in the explosive Netzarim corridor in Gaza.

The Netzarim Corridor divides Gaza in two and is where IDF Colonel Amir Ofri organizes his troops in the fight against terrorists. The atmosphere is tense, he says, and he describes how recently a Gaza woman stumbled toward her unit’s checkpoint, her movements erratic, indicating disorientation. As he approached, she recalls him repeatedly looking over his shoulder, seemingly reluctant to approach. He says it was clear to him that he was under the influence of drugs.

“We are trying to assess whether he poses a threat or is armed,” Ofri told Fox News Digital. However, as the woman approaches, it becomes clear that someone behind her is directing her. The decision is made to send him back, but in doing so his soldiers detect Hamas pickets at a nearby school in the Al-Bureij refugee camp. As the soldiers approach, the terrorists shoot at them from the windows, launching anti-tank missiles and explosives.

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Hamas terrorists affiliated with the Al Qassam Brigades participate in a military parade to celebrate the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel in the central Gaza Strip on July 19, 2023. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)

“Women and children, Hamas exploits the people excessively and cruelly,” she says in a Zoom interview. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

that morning Hamas attacked Israeli communities Colonel Ofri was with his family in the north to celebrate his 46th birthday in settlements close to Gaza on October 7, 2023. A seasoned officer, he immediately reported for duty to a base in the Negev Desert, just over 30 kilometers from the border. The next day, his reserve armored brigade was stationed on the Gaza border, ready for whatever lay ahead. “We were the first to enter Gaza on October 21,” he recalls.

The responsibility he carries weighs heavily on him. “It’s been over nine months since I’ve seen my wife and kids for a short time,” he says. Before the war, he ran a company with factories in Israel, Spain and the United States. “My partner in Oklahoma was one of the first people to call me after October 7. He said he hoped the United States would send everything it could to help us.”

IDF Colonel Amir Ofri with soldiers in the Netzarim Corridor, which divides Gaza in two.

Its mission in the Netzarim Corridor, which serves as a lifeline for both countries humanitarian aid and strategic location is critical in the ongoing conflict. “Our job is to keep the route open for humanitarian aid convoys,” explains Ofri. “Every day presents unique challenges and risks.”

The Netzarim Corridor is of vital importance in the Gaza Strip. With the start of the land operation, the Israeli army created a 4-kilometer corridor that would divide Gaza in two from the eastern border to the Mediterranean. Important towns such as Jabalia and Zeitoun in the north, and Al-Bureij and Nuseyrat in the south are located on the route.

The other side, Hamas, does not take population into account; They exploit them. The terrorists we eliminate mostly wear civilian clothes. Some disguise themselves as women.”

15 years after Gaza came under Israeli military control, this strategic route has been renewed. held by IDF. The majority of Gaza’s population was evacuated to the south, allowing the IDF to maintain almost complete control over significant parts of the Strip. However, this has also become one of the most dangerous areas of the conflict, with Israeli soldiers killed and injured since the start of operations.

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An IDF tank passes through the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza.

“I didn’t like this assignment at all,” he admits. In the early stages of the war, “we were more effective and lethal when the brigade was on the offensive. In the Netzarim Corridor, the challenges are constant,” he says.

Despite these difficulties, Ofri’s brigade operated with minimal losses. “Eight warriors from my brigade fell “Since the hostilities began,” he says solemnly, “but we have not lost any of our soldiers while securing the corridor, and this is a result of what we have learned from the experiences of others.”

Humanitarian crisis in Gaza This situation, which has been heavily covered in the media since the escalation of the conflict, has led to serious criticism of Israel from various countries, including the UN and the USA. Many organizations have emphasized that the situation of civilians is deteriorating and that while they are facing difficulties, the military also has a responsibility to minimize this situation. damage.

A map showing the Netzarim and Philadelphi Corridors in Gaza. (Reuters)

“They live in tents under difficult conditions, but they suffer from neither food nor water shortage,” he says. “We transport approximately 30 truckloads of food, water, tents and medicine every day. The other side, Hamas, does not answer to the population and exploits them. The terrorists we eliminate mostly wear civilian clothes. Some disguise themselves as women.”

IDF soldiers battle terrorists in the vital Netzarim Corridor in Gaza.

One evening, as the convoy approached, an unplanned line of vehicles lined up. Ofri says, “When we stopped the convoy, terrorists, one of whom was dressed as a woman, came out of the vehicle and opened fire. We neutralized two of them, and the other two escaped to the vehicle.”

“All the convoys we were supposed to pass passed, and then we saw Hamas setting up roadblocks, stopping them and looting them,” he says, detailing the complex dynamics on the ground. “Hamas targets specific trucks” to plunder indiscriminately. We observed that they quickly unloaded the materials and carried the items to the warehouses. “We even saw armed Hamas vehicles leaving these places and guards at the entrances.”

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Displaced Palestinians flee Gaza City through the Israeli army corridor in Netzarim towards Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When it comes to the use of civilians in the conflict, he disputes recent reports alleging that the IDF, at least as far as its own brigade is concerned, is using Gaza civilians as human shields in operations against Hamas. “I’ve been at war for a year; we don’t use civilians as human shields,” he says. “Hamas is. As someone who approves all of the brigade’s operations, I state clearly that there is no intentional shooting at women or children. Not a single artillery shell or airstrike is carried out without assessing possible collateral damage.”

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health claims that more than 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza. Israel says the figure is lower but will not publish its assessment. Hamas does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists in its calculations.

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Gaza City walk along the Israeli army corridor in the Netzarim district in central Gaza, July 10, 2024. (Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The problem is that Hamas uses the population cynically,” says Ofri. accuses terrorist organization due to the loss of many civilian lives. “We also witnessed this in Iran’s last attack. As soon as the Iranian attack began on October 1, Hamas operatives attacked us. We were on the south side of the corridor when they pushed civilians, using short-range mortars to exploit the situation. They forced people to leave the refugee camps, telling them to approach our forces.” “They created a dangerous environment,” he says.

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IDF soldiers fight in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)

In October, Hamas leader and mastermind of the 7 October attack, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by the IDF in Rafah, southern Gaza. While many think Sinwar’s death could lead to a turning point in the conflict, Ofri’s status is in doubt. “In my view, he was just another terrorist who deserved to die. He was another obstacle to the effort to release the hostages. I understand that we cannot release them by military means alone. But I believe that military pressure is the only strategy that leads to first hostage agreement.“

He says Israel must continue fighting because of the hostages. “There are 101 hostages left behind, most of them relatives of our soldiers. October 7 affected us all. I lost my friends that day, too,” says Ofri. “That’s why we come together again and again, even though it’s getting harder and harder. If you ask any soldier, they’ll tell you it’s about the hostages.”