Al-Duwairi: Israel’s Netzarim Withdrawal is a Retreat, a Strategic Shift

Military strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi said the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army from the Netzarim axis represents a strategic shift in battle with its plan to divide and control the Gaza Strip from its north failing.

Al-Duwairi explained the Israeli occupation army tried to establish a permanent presence in the area but was forced to retreat under the pressure of battles and political agreements.

Speaking on Al Jazeera, Al-Duwairi added the occupation expanded the Netzarim axis to reach a width of 80 kilometers and a depth of between 6.5 and 7 kilometers, and established four main sites supported by four other supporting sites.

He pointed out although the occupation army began to establish infrastructure to enhance the sustainability of its presence, most of its facilities were dismantled, reflecting its awareness of the possibility of withdrawal at any moment.

He explained the recent agreement imposes on it to withdraw from Netzarim permanently. As well the military expert stressed that Israel will neither be able to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor or the buffer zone later.

A different reality


He pointed out that the Israeli plan was initially aimed at controlling the northern areas of Gaza but the resistance made sure this didn’t happen and imposed a different reality which forced the Zionist army to recalculate.

Al-Duwairi indicated that the occupation may try to procrastinate or delay the implementation of the withdrawal, but in the end it is obliged to evacuate the site on the 22nd day of the deal.

Regarding the withdrawal, he explained this move will facilitate the movement of citizens, especially in light of the siege imposed by the occupation’s control of the corridor.

However, he stressed the most important thing is to restore sovereignty – even partially – to the Palestinians, indicating the current scene is radically different from the calculations of the occupation, which wanted to impose a new political reality.

He considered the withdrawal is not just a military step, but carries political and strategic dimensions, as it reflects the failure of the Israeli vision for Gaza and confirms the will of the resistance and negotiation to impose new equations on the ground.

The ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza went into effect on 19 January and includes three stages, each lasting 42 days. During the first, negotiations will be held to start a second stage, then a third, with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States according to Jo24.

CrossFireArabia

CrossFireArabia

Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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Amnesty Condemns Netanyahu’s Visit to Hungry

Responding to reports that Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has invited and plans to host Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hungary on Wednesday, Erika Guevara-Rosas the head of Global Research, Advocacy and Policy of Amnesty International said:

“Prime Minister Netanyahu is an alleged war criminal, who is accused of using starvation as a method of warfare, intentionally attacking civilians and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.  As a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Hungary must arrest him if he travels to the country and hand him over to the Court. Any trip he takes to an ICC member state that does not end in his arrest would embolden Israel to commit further crimes against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“Netanyahu’s reported visit should be seen as a cynical effort to undermine the ICC and its work, and is an insult to the victims of these crimes who are looking to the Court for justice. Hungary’s invitation shows contempt for international law and confirms that alleged war criminals wanted by the ICC are welcome on the streets of a European Union member state.

“Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary must not become a bellwether for the future of human rights in Europe. European and global leaders must end their shameful silence and inaction, and call on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu during a visit which would make a mockery of the suffering of Palestinian victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its war crimes in other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its entrenched system of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights it controls.

“Amnesty International calls on the ICC Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute all Israel’s crimes. Hungary should equally do so by applying universal jurisdiction principles. Powerful leaders, like Netanyahu, accused by the ICC of war crimes and crimes against humanity, must no longer enjoy the prospect of perpetual impunity.”

“The ICC was established to ensure accountability for victims of genocide and other crimes under international law, and so that crimes which shock the human conscience would “never again” be accompanied by impunity. In ‘bringing power to justice’, the ICC is now facing a global backlash from powerful leaders seeking to undermine the international rule of law and stamp out the prospect of accountability for the most powerful.”

Background

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as al-Qassam brigades commander Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Since then, leaders from ICC member states France, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Poland have stated or implied that they would not arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he travelled to their respective countries. The United States has also enacted sanctions against the ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan.

A cornerstone principle of the ICC’s founding Rome Statute is that all individuals subject to ICC arrest warrants must be arrested and surrendered to the Court without recourse to immunity when they are within the jurisdiction of ICC member states, including on their territory.

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