Highway 34 (Israel)

Highway 34 branches from Yad Mordechai Junction, which sits at the southern end of Highway 4 approximately six kilometers north of the Erez Crossing.[2] From there, the road passes by the city of Sderot and continues to Netivot Junction.[2] Near Sderot, Route 34 separates from Route 232, which runs closer to the Gaza border.[8] The highway passes through open agricultural fields with views toward Gaza, and the Black Arrow memorial site is located along this stretch.[8]

In sections near Kibbutz Erez, the highway runs approximately 2.5 kilometers from populated parts of the Gaza Strip.[3] An elevated railway line runs alongside the highway in the same area.[3] In this portion of the western Negev, Route 34 is the main road separating Sderot from Gaza.[8]

Highway 34 and the surrounding Gaza-envelope road network have been exposed to anti-tank fire. In November 2018, an anti-tank missile struck a bus carrying soldiers in the area, seriously wounding one soldier.[6] In May 2019, a Kornet anti-tank missile fired from Gaza struck a civilian vehicle traveling on Route 34 near Kibbutz Erez, fatally wounding Moshe Feder, a 68-year-old resident of Kfar Saba who was traveling to work at Kibbutz Erez.[3][6] He sustained a serious shrapnel wound to the leg and was pronounced dead at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon; Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.[3]

A subsequent investigation examined why the road had not been closed before the strike. Military officials said the distance had led them to assess the threat as lower than it proved to be.[3]

During Operation Guardian of the Walls, Sergeant Omer Tabib was killed when an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza struck a military jeep at Netiv HaAsara, an incident cited alongside the Feder killing as evidence of the persistent anti-tank threat to roads in the Gaza-envelope area.[6] A January 2024 traffic collision on Route 34 between Kibbutz Erez and Kibbutz Yad Mordechai resulted in one fatality—a 22-year-old man declared dead at the scene—while an 18-year-old and three other men were hospitalized with injuries.[9] A separate vehicle explosion on the highway between Yad Mordechai and Sderot left one man dead. Police initially examined whether an electric-vehicle malfunction caused the explosion before determining that the background was criminal.[10]

Highway 34 has been closed to traffic on multiple occasions in response to escalating security situations near the Gaza border. In February 2020, the Home Front Command closed the route in both directions between Yad Mordechai Junction and Kibbutz Erez Junction following Israeli strikes against Islamic Jihad targets and threats of retaliation. The closure was part of wider restrictions that also affected schools, train service, and tourist sites in the region.[4]

In May 2021, the IDF closed the highway from Yad Mordechai Junction to the access road to Kibbutz Erez amid concern that Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives might fire anti-tank missiles at vehicles. Agricultural access roads west of Highway 232 were also closed, and drivers were warned not to stop on the roadside.[5] On August 2, 2022, the road was again closed in both directions between Yad Mordechai Junction and Nir Am Junction. That closure was prompted by concern that Palestinian Islamic Jihad would retaliate for the arrest of Bassem al-Saadi, the organization's leader in Jenin; parts of Highways 4 and 232, Zikim Beach, and the Ashkelon–Netivot railway service were simultaneously affected.[11]

During Operation Shield and Arrow in May 2023, the highway was closed from Yad Mordechai Junction to Nir Am Junction alongside sections of Highways 4 and 232 and the suspension of train service between Ashkelon and Sderot.[12]

On October 7, 2023, as Hamas launched its large-scale assault on communities in the Gaza envelope, the IDF closed Route 34 from Yad Mordechai Junction to Nir Am, together with sections of Routes 4 and 232. Train service between Ashkelon and Sderot was also suspended.[13] In March 2025, a segment between Sderot–Nir Am Junction and Yad Mordechai Junction was briefly closed after suspicious aerial movement was detected near Or Haner and Erez. The movement was subsequently identified as an Israeli civilian operating a paraglider without IDF coordination, and the closure was lifted once the security concern was resolved.[14]

Following the fatal 2019 missile attack, the IDF erected an approximately three-meter-high, or roughly ten-foot, concrete barrier along the exposed section of Route 34 near Kibbutz Erez. It also announced plans for additional earthworks, bypass roads, and concrete walls intended to protect the road from anti-tank and direct fire originating from Gaza.[7]

A broader initiative known as the "Safe Road" project was subsequently developed by the Israel National Roads Company to protect traffic routes throughout the Gaza-envelope area and maintain movement for local residents during emergencies.[6] The project called for a 4.6-kilometer barrier running alongside Highway 34 and sections of Highway 232, combining poured concrete with earth embankments designed to shield vehicles from anti-tank missiles, sniper fire, and rockets.[6] The plan also incorporated tree-lined zones and pedestrian and bicycle paths intended to integrate the barrier into the surrounding landscape.[6] The commander of the Gaza Division described the project's purpose as enabling "protected movement from threats on major roads during routine times and emergencies."[6]