Israel announced on Wednesday a significant expansion of its military operation in Gaza, seizing large areas to enhance security zones and initiating widespread evacuations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed troops had secured the Morag Axis, an area near Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The move is intended to isolate Rafah from Khan Younis and strengthen control along the Philadelphi Corridor, a key line against weapon smuggling from Egypt.
“The Strip is being divided, and pressure will escalate step by step until our hostages are returned,” Netanyahu stated in a video message. Israeli forces also encircled the Tel al-Sultan area near Rafah, killing dozens of militants and discovering rockets and a launcher aimed at Israeli territory.
The operation, led by Defense Minister Israel Katz, aims to eliminate militant infrastructure and add seized areas to Israel’s security zones. Evacuations have already cleared much of the area around Rafah. Jonathan Whittall, the top U.N. aid official for Gaza, reported, “64% of Gaza is now under active forced displacement orders or within the ‘buffer zone.’ Nowhere and no one is safe.”
The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 60 casualties on Wednesday, including 19 deaths at a U.N. clinic sheltering displaced civilians. Israel claimed the clinic served as a Hamas command center, a charge Hamas denies. Eyewitnesses described gruesome scenes, with rescue workers struggling to retrieve bodies.
Defense Minister Katz did not specify how much territory Israel intends to seize or whether the move would lead to a permanent annexation, raising concerns of forced displacement and a full-scale military occupation. The Israeli rights group Gisha stated Israel had already controlled 17% of Gaza before the operation.
Israeli leaders have suggested plans for voluntary Palestinian departures, aligning with U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision of a redeveloped coastal resort. Gazans fear permanent displacement. “Netanyahu won’t stop until we are displaced,” said Amer al-Farra, who has been forced from his home multiple times.
The operation also appears aimed at pressuring Hamas, as Katz called on Gazans to “eliminate Hamas and return the kidnapped.” Israel resumed airstrikes on March 18 after a U.S.-backed truce collapsed. Since then, the campaign has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the deaths of over 1,000 people since the truce broke down, urging all parties to respect international law. Mediators from Qatar and Egypt have failed to halt the violence.
Israel’s campaign extends beyond Gaza, with strikes in Lebanon and Syria, including an attack on a Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Ronen Bar, head of Israel’s domestic intelligence service, said the Gaza operation and Beirut strikes are “directly linked.”
The conflict began when Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in a cross-border raid, taking 251 hostages. Israel’s response has devastated Gaza, forcing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million from their homes.
Global concern grows as the military operation continues, with protests in Israel and condemnation from international leaders.
