The Israeli army on Saturday said it has fully encircled Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, completing the construction of the Morag Corridor to sever the city from neighboring Khan Younis. "Forces of the 36th Division have completed the encirclement of Rafah," the army said, adding that troops finalized the opening of the corridor within the past 24 hours, effectively cutting southern Gaza in two. The move follows reports from Israeli daily Haaretz indicating that the army plans to turn Rafah — roughly one-fifth of Gaza's territory — into a military buffer zone prohibited to Palestinians. The paper described the measure as tantamount to "the eradication of the city." The proposed buffer zone reportedly covers 75 square kilometers between the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border and the newly created Morag Corridor. On April 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We are taking control of the Morag Corridor, which will be an additional Philadelphi Corridor." Palestinian group Hamas has accused Israel of attempting to isolate Gaza from its Arab neighbors by establishing the new corridor. Israel resumed its military offensive on Gaza on March 18, ending a ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement that had held since January. Since October 2023, more than 50,900 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed in the conflict, according to Gaza health authorities. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. — Agencies
