Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 17, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 17, 2025
IDF says that the Ashkelon-Sderot train line, closed since October 7, 2023, is safe to reopen next month
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A view of the Israel Railways train station in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, March 27, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Following a fresh assessment, the IDF says that the Ashkelon-Sderot train line can reopen from February 1, more than 15 months since it was closed following the October 7, 2023, onslaught.
The line passes close to the border with Gaza and has been exposed to threats from the Strip.
The IDF says that as part of preparations to allow the train line to reopen, it deployed new “technologies” and physical defenses, in addition to its surveillance capabilities.
Other activities were carried out by the IDF in northern Gaza — to remove threats to the rail line — as well as in the border area, to enable the line to reopen, the army adds.
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