Netanyahu says IOF taking control of Morag Axis, dividing Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Apr 2025 21:13

The Israeli PM says the Israeli military is now dividing the Gaza Strip and increasing pressure to force Hamas to release the remaining Israeli captives.

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This aerial view shows a war-devastated neighbourhood in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on April 2, 2025 (AFP)

"Israel" announced a significant expansion of military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, declaring plans to seize extensive areas of the Palestinian enclave and incorporate them into its "security zones", alongside mass expulsion of the Palestinian population.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces were taking control of what he called the Morag Axis, referring to a former Israeli settlement situated between Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

"Because we are now dividing the Strip and we are increasing pressure step by step so they will give us our hostages," he said in a video message.

The move, which isolates Rafah from Khan Younis, grants "Israel" control over a second corridor in southern Gaza, in addition to the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border.

Netanyahu has prioritized maintaining Israeli control over the Philadelphi Corridor in ceasefire negotiations, claiming that an Israeli withdrawal would enable weapons smuggling into Gaza.

However, as part of the January ceasefire deal, he agreed to a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the corridor by the 50th day of the agreement—a clause "Israel" has since violated. Instead, Israeli forces not only remain in the corridor but have also expanded their presence.

Israeli military expanding operations, seizing large territories in Gaza

Earlier on Wednesday, Security Minister Israel Katz declared that Israeli forces were expanding operations to eliminate Palestinian Resistance fighters and infrastructure while seizing large territories to be integrated into "Israel’s" security zones.

The military had already issued evacuation orders for parts of southern Gaza, and Palestinian media reported that Rafah’s vicinity was nearly deserted following the directives.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 60 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including 19—among them children—who were martyred in a strike on a UN clinic sheltering displaced civilians.

The Israeli military claimed the targeted building had been repurposed as a Hamas command and control center, while Hamas denied the allegations, calling them a "blatant fabrication".

Katz’s statement did not specify how much land "Israel" intended to seize or whether the move signaled a permanent occupation, raising concerns about further displacement in Gaza, already one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Palestinians fear permanent displacement and full-scale Israeli military control over substantial parts of the territory. The Israeli rights group Gisha reported that even before this operation, "Israel" had taken control of approximately 62 square kilometers—around 17% of Gaza’s total area—as part of an expanding "buffer zone".

Israeli officials have indicated their intention to facilitate the "voluntary departure" of Palestinians from Gaza, following calls by US President Donald Trump for the enclave to be permanently evacuated and redeveloped as a coastal resort under US administration.

"Israel" resumed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza last month after two months of relative calm that followed a US-brokered truce, during which captives held by the Palestinian Resistance were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli occupation prisons.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war resumed, while "Israel" has blocked aid shipments to Gaza, citing concerns that supplies were being diverted to Hamas.

Mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt to revive ceasefire talks have stalled, while "Israel’s" renewed aggression has triggered protests by families of captives demanding that the government prioritize their release.

The Israeli war has since killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, devastating the enclave and displacing nearly its entire 2.3 million population.