VIDEOS. In the heart of the Gaza Strip, a devastated territory

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The doors of parts of the Gaza Strip, now controlled by the IDF, are unusually open to France Télévisions. Under good guard from Israeli soldiers, the team traveled less than two kilometers into the Palestinian enclave. Everywhere along the road, piles of concrete and dust.

From a military position where everything being filmed is controlled, the scenes are sad. Nothing remains of Shujaiya) Gaza City (Gaza Strip), 100,000 inhabitants. “A neighborhood in Gaza City. Currently, everything was completely destroyed, razed to the ground, after two years of war. In the distance you can see the buildings still standing in Gaza City. But everything around us has been completely destroyed“, explains Arnauld Miguet, from France Télévisions Proche-Orient. In the photos, we can see the surroundings before the war and the methodical destruction of the Israeli army to eliminate, according to him, Hamas and its infrastructure.

That day, the Israeli army carried out its communications operations. For more than two years, they have prohibited independent access to the international press in the Palestinian enclave. The France Télévisions team is entitled to one hour on site. “In this area, we fought off and on for months because Hamas kept coming back here, and this area is a perimeter with a very dense network of tunnels.“, said Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, spokesman for the Israeli army.

Also destroy it to protect Israel, according to the army. The France Télévisions team is located a stone’s throw from the first home in the Country of the Hebrews. “There are dozens of Israeli army positions like this in the Gaza Strip, along the yellow line.“, pointed out Arnauld Miguet.

Since the ceasefire, a yellow line has divided Gaza in two. Israel occupies 53% of the territory, Hamas still controls the other part. However, from where the journalist team is located, this separation is impossible to realize. And each side accused itself of violating the ceasefire. Since it came into force on October 10, five Israeli soldiers and 260 Palestinians have been killed, according to Hamas Civil Defense.

“How long will the Israeli army hold out in its defensive position? No one knows, especially as the next step in the peace agreement is still under discussion regarding the establishment of an international force or the disarmament of Hamas. Meanwhile, Gaza residents live amidst destruction“, concluded Arnauld Miguet.