While officially, the State of Israel refuses to deal with the "day after" the war in Gaza, at least according to what is happening on the ground, it seems that preparations are being made for the possibility of an extended stay of the IDF in the Gaza Strip.
Between the outskirts of the Jabalya neighborhood of Gaza City and the coast of Gaza, this week we joined the IDF forces that entered the Strip, and we saw how amid the heavy fighting, which is still ongoing, and which, unfortunately, also claimed heavy casualties this week, Israel is deepening its logistical hold on the ground.
The main complex we visited is a multi-purpose forward logistics center which was established in the area. Since the First Lebanon War 41 years ago, the IDF has not established an infrastructure of such scope outside the borders of the State of Israel.
"We are now operating closest to the fighters," said Col. (Retd.) Mor, who commands the new compound. "We allow the continuity of combat to be maintained. The fighting force knows that there is someone waiting for them on the spot and providing all the immediate logistics. It is no longer necessary to travel 7 km to the Israeli border. Everything is already accessible inside the combat area. We have created the new border line of the war."
The changes that the war caused to the Gaza Strip are already visible from the border fence. After driving through the Zikim camp, the last vestige of the October 7 massacre is a burnt scooter lying next to the fence, a silent memorial to the mass entry of Hamas terrorists into Israeli territory.
On my previous tour in the north of the Gaza Strip, about five weeks ago, I drove on a makeshift sandy road, and a tank accompanied our convoy of Hummers, which was on its way to the area of the Shati refugee camp. A military policeman then raised a makeshift roadblock for us in order to allow the troops to enter and exit the Strip.
The Steel Corridor
The makeshift barrier at the border was replaced by an electric barrier, and the dirt road, which is one of the two new entrance arteries to the Strip, has already been nicknamed the "Steel Corridor." The road which was once makeshift is now surrounded by earthen embankments, designed to increase the safety and security of the forces in controlling a large area.
The surreal sights around have not changed: against the background of the waves of the beautiful sea of Gaza, the ruins of the buildings on the coastline stand out. Vacation homes, hotels, resorts, vestiges of which remains and the destroyed promenade - evidence of a completely different life that existed here until the disaster that Hamas unleashed on the residents of the Gaza Strip.
The military presence is noticeable throughout the area, and after driving about 7 km, we are greeted at the entrance to the logistics center by a reservist, who announces with a wave of his hands, "Am Yisrael Chai."
"We have now traveled on the steel corridor, which is the lifeline that allows the logistics forces to be brought into the depth of combat. The guys are brave and also work in logistics missions under fire at all hours of the day," Lt. Col. Moore, the logistics officer of the 162nd Division, told us at the entrance, adding excitedly: "This is the first time in four decades that a forward logistics center has been set up."
The logistics center also includes ambulances for treating and evacuating the wounded and a helipad nearby, and it simultaneously serves as a center for providing an immediate response to a variety of needs. The commanders in the field speak proudly of the impressive logistical operation, but are careful not to provide predictions about how long it will operate. They also understand that that is already an issue with strategic and policy-dependent consequences.
'Formula 1' treatment
The large center, between dirt embankments, has already been nicknamed "Formula 1" - a reference to the refreshment stops of the famous race drivers.
"There is a supportive envelope here, which includes repairs for armored vehicles and their quick return to service, and at the same time - gives the warriors who arrive with the vehicles a refreshment of hot meals, showers, and washing machines," said Col. Moore. "Speed and refreshment are as important to warriors as they are to drivers in Formula One."
The center includes a fuel complex, capable of supplying approximately 80,000 liters of diesel, which is piped from Israeli territory to armored vessels, tankers, and a water line. The center is divided into complexes, each of which has a dedicated activity: a medical complex, a complex for evacuating the wounded and for treatment, and a combat maintenance complex, where complex maintenance for vehicles and armored fighting vehicles are carried out. It also includes hot showers, a clinic, a synagogue, mobile laundries, and telephone booths.
Next to me, Artyom, 43, from Haifa, is working on a Merkava Mark 4 tank which was hit twice by an anti-tank missile and an explosive device. "The tank survived the impact, the crew members were not injured, and it will soon be returned to operational fitness," he said proudly. "My son is also now being recruited in Gaza, and I am trying to meet him."
The driver of the tank, Netanel from Rosh Ha’ayin, who is married and the father of two daughters, said about the moment of the impact: "There were explosions and we felt them, they caused the filter houses to burn, and after replacing them and returning the tank to full service, we will return to fighting. In the meantime, we are here refreshing ourselves. The tank is a part of us."
According to the tank commander Eliav, the two terrorists who carried out the shooting were identified and eliminated by infantry fighters who were nearby.
The long stay in Gaza provides inspiring personal and family stories. Lt.-Col. Mor, 34, and Lt.-Col. Efrat, 35, have been serving as NCOs for many years in a variety of positions. The challenging military service became for them a way of life with a sense of mission. The meetings with the officers and the regular and reserve soldiers, who work day and night against the background of the ruins of the buildings from the war on the one hand, and the rough sea and the spectacular sunsets on the other - create a fascinating mosaic of Israeli society.
Lt.-Col. Mor, who grew up in Kiryat Shmona and currently lives with his wife and two children in Eilat, has rarely seen them since the outbreak of the war. "My wife is a hero, she is a school teacher and takes care of children," he said. "My family is from Kiryat Shmona, and her family is from Safed, and Eilat is far away. I've seen them a few times since October 7. It's not easy, but it's better to make the big effort now and provide our children with a different place to live, a safer place."
Lt.-Col. Efrat, who lives in the settlement of Nili, is married and a mother of three children, and does not see her family often. "I saw them a few times, I'm lucky to have WhatsApp. My husband works in the defense industry, and because of the war he also has to work many hours every day. The grandparents are very helpful," she said. "We have a strong home front that understands our mission, and we will be here as long as necessary. We are all determined to carry out the tasks."
Not far from the "Formula 1" complex, on the outskirts of Jabalya, I notice a cloth sign with the name and phone number of a real estate agency in Israel.
"One day, after the houses here are restored, they will be worth a lot of money - after all, these are buildings on the first line to the sea. Think how much it costs in Tel Aviv," Yoni, 24, told me in dark humor. As a civilian, he's an apartment broker from Ramat Gan, and now he's recruited in the logistics center.
Maybe one day this beautiful area, which was turned into ruins by horror and war, will become a paradise again.