Jerusalem - (Xinhua) - The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced today, Thursday, the start of building a 4.6-kilometer-long wall in the Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip to protect against counterfire.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense said in a statement: "It has started working on the security corridor project in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of concealing the intersections to allow the movement of residents in times of emergency without fear of counter-fire from the Strip."

The statement added: "The project is to build a huge wall with a length of 4.6 kilometers in the Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip."

The Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip are usually exposed to rocket fire from Palestinian militants, especially in times of security tensions, which forces the townspeople to stay in shelters and not move outside their homes.