Israel announced on Saturday that it would expand “rapidly” across much of Gazahad after completing building a new security corridor cutting off the southern city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, reported news agency Associated Press.
The corridor, called Morag, is named after a former Jewish settlement located between Rafah and Khan Younis. It has become a focal point since the Israeli army began mass evacuations in Rafah, hinting at plans for a large-scale assault.
Rafah’s municipality has described the construction as a “flagrant breach of international legitimacy.” The corridors, coupled with a buffer zone that Israel has razed and expanded, give it more than 50% control of the territory.
Israel says the military strategy is meant to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, of which 24 are believed to be alive. Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has also enforced a blockade of food, fuel, and aid, which aid agencies say has left over 2 million people in dire need.
Israeli airstrikes continued across Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 21 people in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The ministry says most of the over 50,000 Palestinians killed since October have been women and children, although it does not separate combatant from civilian deaths. Israel claims to have killed 20,000 Hamas fighters but has not provided proof.
On Saturday, evacuations were ordered east of Khan Younis, and later in parts of central Gaza, after rocket fire from those areas. Hamas has warned that ongoing bombardments risk the lives of hostages. A new video was released showing American hostage Edan Alexander speaking under duress. His family issued a statement urging support for a deal to bring hostages home.
In a new development, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said Palestinians would have the option to “voluntarily” relocate abroad under a US-backed proposal by president Donald Trump. Palestinians have strongly rejected the idea, calling it forced displacement. Human Rights Watch and other organisations have labelled the plan as ethnic cleansing.
