The Israeli army has declared an expansion of the "Morag Corridor," a recently drawn dividing line in southern Gaza, and said that about 30% of the area is now under its full operational control, designated as "security zones."
It follows a video infographic published by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), where the Morag Corridor cuts through the southern portion of the Gaza Strip, bisecting between Rafah and Khan Younis cities. It thus isolates Rafah from Khan Younis and central Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.
The video showed Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, to be widely devastated, with just a handful of heavily damaged buildings remaining.
"As part of the operation, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has attained full operational control over a number of key areas and routes throughout Gaza. Close to 30 per cent of the strip's territory is now an Operational Security Perimeter," the military confirmed in its release.
Apart from the Morag Corridor, the IDF also previously established another significant military buffer zone, referred to as the "Netzarim Corridor," in Gaza's center. The area was intended to cut off Gaza City and the north from the south of the enclave.
Since March 2, Israel has placed an absolute blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. It got worse on March 18, when Israel formally ended a two-month-long ceasefire with Hamas and initiated new air and ground attacks.
The Israeli military reported that it has carried out airstrikes on about 1,200 targets in Gaza with almost 350 fighter planes and other planes since operations commenced.
Gaza health authorities reported on Wednesday that these assaults have claimed the lives of 1,652 Palestinians and injured 4,391. In total, since the conflict erupted in October 2023, the number of Palestinian casualties has reached 51,025, with 116,432 wounded.
Israel continues to maintain complete control over all supply and access of aid into Gaza, constricting the humanitarian crisis.
On April 28, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will start hearings with a view to Israel's legal obligations to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians. The action follows the United Nations General Assembly approval in December for the court to issue an advisory opinion.
The resolution requests the ICJ to decide what is the obligation of Israel to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population."
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