Israel expands Gaza offensive, signals intent to divide the territory

Israel has launched a major expansion of its military campaign in Gaza, with Defence Minister Israel Katz declaring that the army would seize a substantial amount of territory and add them to the coastal strip’s existing security zones. The announcement came close on the heels of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s explicit threat to “divide up” the Gaza Strip, a strategy he outlined in a video statement on April 3.

“Tonight, we have shifted gears in the Gaza Strip. The [Israeli army] is seizing territory… We are also doing another thing, seizing the ‘Morag route’. This will be the second Philadelphi route,” Netanyahu said, referring to a new security corridor intended to separate the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. Named after a former Jewish settlement that once stood between Khan Younis and Rafah, the Morag corridor aims to further fragment Gaza, compounding fears of permanent Israeli control. Netanyahu said the latest manoeuvre was intended to put more pressure on Hamas into releasing remaining Israeli hostages. “We are currently dividing up the strip, adding pressure step by step, so that our hostages will be given to us,” he said.

Katz echoed Netanyahu’s aggressive stance, explaining that the newly captured areas would be “added to the security zones” already maintained by Israel, such as the buffer along Gaza’s borders with Egypt and Israel, and the Netzarim corridor, which bisects Gaza City from the south. He said the operation would involve massive expulsion of Gaza’s population from the combat zones, although he declined to give further details, especially about the planned extent of the annexation. 

The warning statements from Netanyahu and Katz came after a night of devastating airstrikes on Khan Younis and Rafah, killing at least 21 people, including a pregnant woman and nine children who were killed when a Jabaliya health clinic came under attack. The indiscriminate attacks came despite IDF claims of taking precautions to limit civilian harm. Since Israel chose to renew the offensive, abandoning the truce in place since January, Gaza’s health ministry has reported close to a thousand deaths, with at least 322 children among the casualties.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, has also outlined demands that include total disarmament of Hamas, complete security control over Gaza and “voluntary migration” for Gazans. “That’s the plan,” said Netanyahu, adding that his government was not hiding its intentions. The Israeli military has already seized 62 square kilometres—17 per cent of Gaza’s total land area—since October 2023, according to human rights groups.

Evacuation orders have pushed residents towards al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian zone repeatedly bombed by Israel. Ceasefire talks, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, remain stalled, with Hamas rejecting disarmament and expulsion of Gazans, demanding a full Israeli withdrawal instead.

Arab nations, including Egypt, have also rejected proposals to receive Gazans, insisting they remain in their homeland. The latest escalation has drawn massive protests in Israel, especially from the families of hostages, who want an immediate deal to end the war rather than further aggression, highlighting the deepening humanitarian and political crisis.

Middle East