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Live Blog Update| Israel's war on Gaza
This is an entry from: Live: Gaza death toll nears 50,700

Is Israel implementing the 'five fingers' plan in Gaza?

As Israeli ground forces re-enter Gaza through the Netzarim Corridor, is it now planning to fully implement its "five fingers" plan to slice up Gaza?

The strategy, according to Haaretz, stems from the 1970s when the idea for the Netzarim Corridor - isolating Gaza's north - was drawn up. 

Palestinian journalist Muhammed Shehada explains further in a piece for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) from December:

"The IDF is pursuing a 'five fingers' strategy which aims to fragment Gaza into small, isolated, and overcrowded enclaves. Key to this is the establishment of broad Israeli 'corridors' with Israeli checkpoints to control Palestinian movement and serve as a launchpad for regular Israeli raids into the rest of Gaza.

"This would in effect replicate the way Israel has sought to control the West Bank through its territorial fragmentation. These corridors require the large-scale demolition of Palestinian homes, mass displacement, and the construction of new Israeli infrastructure."