Israel constructing military bases in central Gaza: Report

WASHINGTON

Israel is reportedly constructing military bases in the central Gaza Strip, signaling efforts to strengthen its presence in the Palestinian enclave, according to a report.

The New York Times reported Sunday, citing satellite imagery and video analysis, that Israeli forces have demolished more than 600 buildings in recent months to create a buffer zone.

The report said troops have established a network of fortified outposts featuring communication towers and defensive installations. The military is said to maintain at least 19 large bases in the region, alongside dozens of smaller facilities. Many are paved and enclosed, with barracks, access roads and parking facilities for armored vehicles.

Israel seized the four-mile Netzarim corridor -- a key road that divides the enclave, said the newspaper, during the early months of the onslaught against Gaza.

The corridor has reportedly been used to prevent hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians from returning to the north of Gaza.

Asked by reporters about the report, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said he has seen the reports but cannot confirm.

"We've been very clear that we believe a couple things. One, that it's important that there be a cease-fire as soon as possible in Gaza, and that we start to ensure an increased flow of aid into Gaza, humanitarian assistance," Ryder told reporters.

"We also don't believe that Israel should continue to occupy Gaza once that cease-fire... and the threat has been eliminated from Hamas or Hamas has been defeated," he added.

The US will continue to consult its Israeli partners on that front, said Ryder, and added: "The most important thing is getting to a cease-fire, the release of the hostages and ending this terrible conflict."

A State Department spokesman said if the reports about Israel establishing military bases are true, it would be "most certainly inconsistent with what we want to see for the region."

"And it certainly would be consistent with the principles that the secretary (Antony Blinken) laid out in Tokyo and should they be true, it's certainly something that we will raise quite seriously with our partners in Israel," deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said Tuesday at a news conference.

In November 2023, during his visit to Tokyo, Blinken said the US believes key elements should include no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza -- not now and not after the war.

"No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza," he said at the time.