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Israeli soldier at the opening ceremony of the completed border fence
Photo: Tsafrir Abayov / AP
Israel has completed the 65-kilometer barrier on the border with the Gaza Strip, thereby completely sealing off the Palestinian territory. Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Tuesday. He promised the residents of southern Israel that they would be better protected in the future from attacks by the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, which he called a "terrorist organization". The fencing of the Gaza strip, which is ruled by Hamas, was "completely" completed after three and a half years.
The barrier fence separates the Gaza Strip from Israel both above and below ground.
The six-meter-high border fence includes underground sensors for detecting tunnels, radar systems, underwater devices and cameras.
Among other things, Israel wants to prevent the construction of illegal tunnels in the strip.
According to the Israeli daily »Haaretz«, the barricade cost around 3.5 billion shekels, which is the equivalent of almost one billion euros.
Critics fear even worse humanitarian conditions
Israel has cordoned off the Gaza Strip since 2007, but there are always armed conflicts.
Most recently, Hamas fired rockets towards Israel in May, whereupon the Israeli air force bombed targets in the Gaza Strip.
During the eleven days of fighting, more than 240 people were killed in Gaza and twelve in Israel.
Israel strictly controls the import of goods into the narrow coastal strip, where two million people live, and strict border crossings.
Critics of the safety fence argue that the armored blockade could worsen humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory, which is wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
On the other side of the national territory, Israel has also built a barrier on parts of the border with the West Bank to prevent attacks by Palestinians.
col / dpa