Israel has completed the construction of a new military corridor near the former settlement of Morag, effectively severing Rafah from the rest of the Gaza Strip and further fragmenting Palestinian territory. The move, announced on Saturday, is part of an intensified Israeli military campaign aimed at pressuring Hamas into releasing the remaining 59 hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that troops from the 36th Division have fully “encircled Rafah,” isolating the city by controlling a strategic route between Rafah and Khan Younis. This development follows mass evacuation orders issued for most of Rafah, signaling a likely imminent ground invasion.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the Morag corridor as a “second Philadelphi Corridor,” referencing another key buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border seized earlier in the conflict. Coupled with Israeli control of the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza and a widened buffer zone along Gaza’s perimeter, Israel now exerts control over more than 50% of the territory.
This military escalation coincides with a harsh blockade, now entering its second month, which has halted food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s 2 million residents. International human rights organizations have condemned the blockade as a war crime, pointing to the catastrophic humanitarian toll.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the offensive, claiming Hamas leadership has abandoned Gaza’s people while taking refuge in tunnels or abroad. He also reiterated an offer for Palestinians to “voluntarily” relocate to other countries — a proposal backed by former U.S. President Donald Trump and widely condemned by Palestinian leaders and rights groups as a form of ethnic cleansing.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 21 deaths from Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours, adding to a death toll that now exceeds 50,000 since the war began — most of them women and children. Over 1,500 have died since the latest ceasefire collapse, with no distinction made between combatants and civilians.
Israel claims it has eliminated around 20,000 militants during the offensive, though it has provided no public evidence.
As tensions surge and displacement grows, the people of Gaza are being pushed into smaller and more perilous pockets of land. With evacuation orders now extending east of Khan Younis, the specter of further devastation looms large.