JERUSALEM. Israel has launched a significant expansion of its military operations in Gaza, seizing territory and declaring plans to incorporate large areas of the enclave into its designated security zones. The move, which involves mass evacuations of civilians, marks a dramatic escalation in the ongoing conflict.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the seizure of a strategic strip known as the “Morag Axis,” located between the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis—roughly 3 to 4 kilometers from the Egyptian border.
“Because we are now dividing the Strip and we are increasing pressure step by step so they will give us our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a video address.
By cutting off Rafah from Khan Younis, Israel aims to gain control of a second critical corridor in southern Gaza. This is in addition to the “Philadelphi Corridor,” which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border and is viewed by Israel as essential to stopping arms smuggling into the Strip.
The Israeli military confirmed it had encircled the Tel al-Sultan area near Rafah, killing dozens of militants and discovering two rockets and a launcher pointed toward Israeli territory.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Israel’s top military official, declared that the offensive would continue “at a deliberate and determined pace.”
“The only thing that can halt our further advance is the release of our hostages,” Zamir said in an official statement.
Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed the broader scope of the operation, stating that Israeli forces would expand operations to eliminate militant infrastructure and seize territory to add to Israel’s security buffer.
Evacuation orders were issued for southern Gaza districts. According to local radio reports, large areas around Rafah were left nearly deserted following the warnings. The situation is growing increasingly dire for civilians.
“As of today, 64% of Gaza is under active forced displacement orders or falling within the so-called ‘buffer zone’,” said Jonathan Whittall, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official for Gaza and the West Bank. “Nowhere and no one is safe in Gaza.”
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 60 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday. Among them were 19 individuals—including children—killed in an attack on a U.N.-run clinic housing displaced civilians.
Israel’s military claimed the building, previously used as a clinic, had been repurposed as a Hamas command and control center. The military said it took steps to minimize civilian casualties using surveillance.
However, Hamas denied the allegation and labeled it a “blatant fabrication.”
Reuters footage from the scene showed pools of blood on the floor as bodies were carried away on stretchers by rescue teams. In Khan Younis, residents were still reeling from another deadly strike.
“From the moment the strike occurred we have not been able to sit or sleep,” said Rida al-Jabbour, holding up a baby’s tiny shoe and pointing to a blood-splattered wall. She recounted how her neighbor and the woman’s three-month-old infant were killed in the attack. Rescue workers, she added, were unable to separate the victims’ remains.
The latest developments come amid mounting international concern over the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza and the rising death toll from intensified Israeli operations.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
- Venus L Peñaflorhttps://tutubi.ph/author/venusp/
