Israeli forces have fully encircled the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, cutting it off from neighboring Khan Younis by establishing a corridor known as the Morag Corridor, the Israeli army confirmed on Saturday.
The move marks a major shift in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The Morag Corridor now physically divides Rafah, home to a large number of displaced Palestinians, from the rest of the southern region. The corridor is named after an Israeli settlement that was evacuated in 2005 when Israel pulled out of Gaza.
This development comes after reports that Israel plans to turn Rafah and its surrounding areas into a restricted buffer zone. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, this zone will cover around 75 square kilometers—about one-fifth of the entire Gaza Strip. The area would become off-limits to Palestinians, raising fears of long-term displacement and permanent separation from other parts of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced that the Morag Corridor will serve as an extension of the Philadelphi Corridor, a previously known security strip along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Critics, including the Palestinian group Hamas, say this is an effort to cut Gaza off from its Arab neighbors and cement new territorial boundaries.
Since March 18, Israel has resumed its military offensive in Gaza after a brief period of calm that followed a ceasefire and prisoner exchange earlier this year. The ongoing bombardment has left over 50,900 Palestinians dead, the majority of whom are women and children.
Israel is currently facing multiple international legal cases over its actions in Gaza. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. At the same time, the International Court of Justice is examining a genocide case brought against Israel over its conduct in the war.
The siege of Rafah signals a deepening of the crisis, as hopes for a peaceful resolution remain distant and the humanitarian situation continues to worsen.