Stav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel
The IDF announces a partial reduction of the closed military zone in Israel along the Gaza border in line with a new situational assessment, allowing additional civilian areas in the Western Negev to reopen this afternoon for the first time since October 7, 2023.
The affected areas had been closed to civilian movement since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, which triggered the ongoing war and led to the imposition of broad security restrictions in the border area.
The updated order, signed by the head of the Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, limits the closed military zone to areas outlined in a revised map, which includes key roads and areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
Entry into these zones remains restricted. Only permanent residents, authorized agricultural workers, and individuals conducting essential work — coordinated through the IDF Gaza Division and Home Front Command — will be granted entry. Violators of the order may face legal action.
The order remains in effect until August 31, unless modified earlier.
A map showing the updated boundaries of the closed military zone along the Gaza border, as outlined in an order signed by Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, July 2, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
