TEL AVIV, Israel. Israel announced on Saturday that it has completed a new security corridor severing Rafah from the rest of Gaza, effectively isolating the southern city as the military prepares to expand its operations “vigorously” across the coastal enclave. The move comes amid growing pressure on Palestinian civilians who are being forced into increasingly smaller areas for shelter.
“Activity will expand rapidly to additional locations throughout most of Gaza and you will have to evacuate the fighting zones,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, without specifying safe destinations for Palestinian civilians. He added that the only way to end the conflict was for Palestinians to “remove Hamas and release the remaining hostages,” stating:
“This is the only way to stop the war.”
The new corridor, named Morag after a former Israeli settlement between Rafah and Khan Younis, follows the Israeli military’s sweeping evacuation orders in Rafah last week. The Rafah municipality condemned the move as a “flagrant breach of international legitimacy.”
Israel has made clear its intent to seize significant portions of Gaza to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining 59 hostages, of whom 24 are believed to be alive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has also enforced a monthlong blockade on fuel, food, and humanitarian aid — a tactic rights groups have denounced as a war crime due to the worsening shortages faced by the roughly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.
The Israeli government claims that sufficient supplies entered Gaza during a previous two-month ceasefire that was broken last month — an assertion strongly disputed by aid organizations.
Netanyahu described the Morag corridor as “a second Philadelphi corridor,” referencing Israel’s military control of Gaza’s southern border with Egypt since May 2024. Combined with the Netzarim corridor — which separates Gaza’s northern third from the rest of the territory — and an expanded buffer zone, Israel now controls more than 50% of Gaza.
Katz also said Palestinians who wish to “voluntarily” relocate to other countries could do so under a proposal backed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. The plan has been widely condemned by Palestinians and human rights organizations, which say it amounts to “ethnic cleansing.”
Palestinians have rejected the relocation proposal, insisting on their right to remain in their homeland. Human Rights Watch warned the plan involves “the forcible relocation of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.”
As Israel’s campaign intensifies, Palestinians have been crammed into overcrowded tent camps or forced to live in the rubble of homes destroyed by previous strikes — many of them displaced multiple times following successive evacuation orders since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel.
On Saturday, Israel ordered evacuations in areas east of Khan Younis, citing rocket fire from militants. Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed attacks had been launched from these zones. Later that evening, evacuation notices were issued for parts of Nuseirat in central Gaza after Israel reported intercepting a projectile from the area.
The militant group Hamas has warned that ongoing bombardments endanger the hostages. On Saturday, the family of Edan Alexander, the last known American hostage in Gaza, released a statement following the appearance of a new video showing him under duress:
“When you sit down to mark Passover, remember that this is not a holiday of freedom as long as Edan and the other 58 hostages are not home.”
Meanwhile, supporters and hostage families held another rally in Tel Aviv, calling for a deal to bring all hostages home.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 21 people were killed in the last 24 hours in Israeli strikes. The ministry reports that over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died in the war — though it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israel, for its part, claims to have killed approximately 20,000 militants throughout the war but has not publicly provided evidence to support the figure.
As fighting escalates and humanitarian conditions worsen, international observers warn that the situation in Gaza is approaching a new level of crisis with no clear resolution in sight.
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/
