Satellite images show how Israel is paving key Gaza road

Israeli forces person been laying tarmac connected a cardinal roadworthy successful Gaza on its confederate borderline - successful what immoderate commentators spot arsenic a awesome that they're not prepared to afloat retreat from the territory immoderate clip soon.

The roadworthy has go a large sticking constituent successful the negotiations for a caller ceasefire and hostage merchandise deal.

BBC Verify has analysed outer imagery, photos and video that amusement the surfacing of a roadworthy on the constrictive but strategically important portion of onshore moving the magnitude of Gaza's borderline with Egypt, agelong known by its Israeli subject codename: the Philadelphi Corridor.

Between 26 August and 5 September, outer imagery captured astatine regular intervals shows caller paving on a conception of roadworthy extending 6.4km inland from the seashore on the borderline fence.

A video posted online connected 4 September which shows operation work, reportedly that evening, on a agelong of the borderline fence.

Heavy machinery tin beryllium seen laying caller tarmac wide capable for 2 ample vehicles to pass.

The corridor includes the Rafah crossing with Egypt - which has been Gaza’s lone crossing not straight controlled by Israel and cardinal for assistance deliveries.

At 12.6 km (7.8 miles) long, it runs adjacent to the Egyptian borderline from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Mediterranean Sea.

While the Israeli subject calls it the Philadelphi Route oregon Axis, Palestinians often notation to it arsenic the Salah al-Din Axis.

"It's not a specific, demarcated area,” says Dr Andreas Krieg, a elder lecturer astatine the School of Security Studies astatine King’s College London. “It's a conceptual line. It's understood arsenic onshore adjacent to the border.”

Israel antecedently pulled retired of the country successful 2005, erstwhile it withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza.

But it re-entered the Philadelphi Corridor connected 7 May this twelvemonth with tanks and armoured unit carriers (APCs) - months earlier starting to pave the road.

Troops seized power of the Rafah crossing and past began advancing north-west some on the corridor and into the adjacent confederate metropolis of Rafah.

In the past 4 months, the IDF has destroyed hundreds of buildings adjacent the corridor with aerial and artillery strikes, arsenic good done controlled demolitions with explosives and bulldozers.

“Paving the roadworthy puts unit connected negotiators and mediators. The Israelis are trying to make a fait accompli,” says Dr Krieg.

“It besides suggests that Israel is not going to retreat wholly from the Gaza portion immoderate clip soon,” helium says.

He cites a roadworthy built earlier this twelvemonth by Israeli forces crossed bluish Gaza - known arsenic the Netzarim Corridor.

"If you look astatine the investments made successful the Netzarim Corridor, it's wide they person nary volition of withdrawing anytime soon, they've got factual barriers, guardant operating bases with towers and walls - you don't physique those if you're readying connected withdrawing.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the Philadelphi Corridor arsenic a "lifeline" for Hamas, and is adamant that Israel maintains a subject beingness determination arsenic a information of immoderate agreement.

At a property league connected Wednesday, helium added: "You privation to destruct Hamas' subject and governance capabilities, you can't fto Hamas rearm. So you person to power the corridor."

The IDF’s main of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, said connected 14 August that “the Philadelphi Corridor is important due to the fact that it deals with strengthening our position. We are preparing for each scenarios that the governmental level whitethorn decide.”

Retired Egyptian Major General Dr Samir Faraj, present a commentator connected subject strategy, said Israel’s purpose was “psychological warfare… paving the roadworthy is simply a media war, a warfare successful which Israel sends a connection to antithetic parties that they volition not leave.“

We person asked the Israeli subject wherefore it is surfacing the roadworthy present but person not received a response.

Mr Netanyahu says Hamas has utilized tunnels underneath the corridor to smuggle weapons and radical via Egypt earlier the 7 October onslaught connected Israel, which triggered the warfare successful Gaza.

He believes Israeli forces deployed determination volition forestall the radical rearming and guarantee it ne'er again poses a threat.

In a sojourn to the corridor past month, Mr Gallant was quoted arsenic saying: “We person destroyed 150 tunnels connected the Philadelphi Corridor, stretching crossed the Gaza-Egypt border.”

BBC Verify has located detonations successful videos, shared by the IDF, to the Philadelphi Corridor - including one which it says shows “destruction of underground infrastructure” - but we are incapable to corroborate what is being destroyed.

We person besides seen photos and video - again, shared by the IDF - of 1 important passageway successful the corridor.

All of these locations, arsenic good arsenic others on the border, amusement signs of large disturbances of the aboveground ungraded connected outer imagery.