Satellite images show 'major construction' by Israel on Egypt-Gaza border

Satellite images published by an expert show Israel conducting extensive construction activity on Gaza's border with Egypt,

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

03 May, 2025

The structure could be part of Israel's attempts to further control aid distribution in Gaza [Getty]

A series of satellite images published on Friday by Israeli blogger and satellite imagery analyst Ben Tzion Macales revealed extensive construction activity by Israel on the border between Egypt and Gaza.

According to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, this may indicate a shift in the Israeli army’s operational policy within the Palestinian territory.

The five images, taken since the beginning of April—the most recent on 29 April—show developments in the construction of a dirt road running between the Egyptian border and a point north of the abandoned "Swedish village" area in the southwestern part of Gaza.

At the northern end of the road, a large fortified site is visible, which the newspaper believes is preparations for major construction.

While other axes previously established by the Israeli army in Gaza—such as the Netzarim and Morag corridors—cut across the Strip from east to west, the documented axis runs from south to north.

It reaches the edges of the al-Mawasi area, which is considered a humanitarian zone where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians have taken shelter amid the ongoing Israeli campaign.

Israel Hayom noted that it is difficult to determine the exact nature of the construction based on satellite images alone.

However, given the scale of the activity and its clear connection to the Egyptian border, it is likely to be a new facility for the distribution of humanitarian aid, part of Israel’s attempts to shift aid distribution away from the control of Hamas.

Since March, Israel has enforced a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, halting the entry of all humanitarian aid, including food, water, fuel, and medicine.

This total closure follows an already intensified siege that began in October 2023 that accompanied Tel Aviv's war on the Palestinian enclave.

The prolonged siege has led to severe shortages of essential supplies, causing widespread hunger and a looming famine among Gaza's 2 million residents. Aid organisations report that over 1.1 million people are facing catastrophic food insecurity, with children being particularly affected by malnutrition.

The UN and various humanitarian groups have condemned the blockade, warning that the deliberate withholding of aid constitutes collective punishment and may violate international law.