Israeli troops with the 36th Division were deployed last week to Morag, the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan Younis, after the army ordered sweeping evacuations covering most of Rafah, indicating it could soon launch another major ground operation.
This comes as Israel has vowed to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has also imposed a monthlong blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left the territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle – a tactic that rights groups say is a war crime.
Netanyahu had said Morag would be “a second Philadelphi corridor,” referring to the Gaza side of the border with Egypt farther south, which has been under Israeli control since May. Israel has also reasserted control of the Netzarim corridor, which cuts off the northern third of Gaza from the rest of the Strip.
The corridors, coupled with a buffer zone, that Israel has razed and expanded, give it more than 50% control of the territory.
Israel’s defense minister on Saturday warned Palestinians that the army was going to “vigorously” expand to other locations throughout Gaza, urging them to “remove Hamas” and release the hostages. “Hamas is unable to protect the residents or the territory. Hamas leaders are hiding in tunnels with their families and in luxury hotels abroad with billions in their bank accounts, and are using you as hostages,” said Israel Katz. He also said Palestinians interested in “voluntarily” relocating to other countries would be able to as part of a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump and Netanyahu. Palestinians have vehemently rejected the proposal, dubbed “voluntary emigration,” and expressed their determination to remain in their homeland.
Trump and Israeli officials have not said how they would respond if Palestinians refuse to leave. But Human Rights Watch and other groups say the plan, if implemented, would amount to “ethnic cleansing,” the forcible relocation of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across Gaza continued Saturday, killing at least 21 people in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Israel also ordered the evacuation to areas east of Khan Younis ahead of an attack there, said Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the military. He said militants had fired rockets into Israel from these areas.
The Israel-Hamas war started on Oct.7, 2023, after the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel and left some 1,200 people dead. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in the Gaza Strip has so far killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry which says the majority have been women and children.
The ministry said at least 1,500 people have been killed since the ceasefire collapsed last month.
Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
