Residents of the Gaza envelope communities are enraged that the IDF has begun to build a high stone wall near Sderot, saying this proves that the army has not changed its old and failed security perceptions,
“As soon as I saw the wall,’ said a resident of the city whose son was murdered along with 1,200 others during the Hamas invasion last October 7, “I realized that nothing has changed nor will change here. We’re back to October 6.”
Yarin Sultan, a member of the Israel Envelope Forum, also sharply criticized the move: It is “another link in a chain of conceptual failures. The state continues to cling to outdated approaches that are satisfied with cosmetic treatment [of the problem] and do not provide real security to the residents of the south.”
The army said in response that the wall was being built so that train service can recommence to the town. “The IDF is working on a variety of efforts to enable the return of the train, including tailored military operations and an ongoing situation assessment,” said its spokesperson. This is with the understanding that this is an important strategic national infrastructure and a central factor in the process of restoring the western Negev.”