Road leading to Gaza crossing in poor repair
With not enough lanes and a defective road plagued with potholes, Route 232 - used by local residents, the IDF and trucks leading humanitarian aid to Gaza - is a dangerous thoroughway to travel on.
Apart from aid trucks traveling this bumpy road, there are military vehicles from the IDF's Gaza Division, busloads of students and private vehicle of residents from the Eshkol Regional Council traversing this narrow route.
For years now that the residents have been trying to get the road expanded to a four-lane road, to no avail.
The maintenance of the road is poor: there are dozens of gaping holes in the asphalt, as a result of rainwater and truck traffic; the shoulders along its side are narrow, making the overtakings done on the road at any given moment all the more dangerous. Although the road is not considered a "bloody road," many accidents have occurred on it in the past, claiming numerous lives.
The issue was raised during a meeting the heads of the communities on the Gaza border had with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, and subsequent temporary solutions are being explored to expand the route. But until a permanent solution can found, local residents have no choice but to travel on this dangerous road.
"Any drive on this road is life-threatening," said Gadi Yarkoni, the head of the Eshkol Regional Council. "The trucks that head to the Gaza Strip destroyed the road and endanger the passengers. The road is very narrow, and it's only a matter of time before a disaster happens. We have been warning about this for years, and everyone sees the need to expand it, but then nothing actually happens. We are waging a persistent battle and unfortunately there are still no results on the ground."
Even the truck drivers complain about the situation on the road. Hassan a-Said, who brings goods from Israel into Gaza, said: "I travel on this road three times a day, and every time I see a pit. The wheel escapes my control during the jump, and sometimes I almost lose control of the truck. I called the police dozens of times, and they referred me to Netivei Israel (the National Roads Company of Israel), but there is no one to talk to."
The Transportation Ministry said in response: "The Israeli government has decided to promote the upgrade of Route 232 and expand the road to have two lanes in each direction. Netivei Israel is currently considering several alternatives for expanding the road and improving safety. The project cost is estimated at hundreds of millions of shekels."
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz has recently decided to ban heavy truck traffic on the arteries leading to the Kerem Shalom crossing from 7am to 9am and from 3pm to 5pm in an effort to increase residents' safety.
