Israeli forces have completed the encirclement of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, the military said on Saturday, as part of a broader operation to seize more territory in the enclave. The move follows large-scale evacuations and signals a deepening phase in the ongoing war.
Since resuming operations on March 18, the Israeli military has issued repeated evacuation warnings to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Rafah, pushing them toward increasingly limited areas bordered by the sea and Egypt.
On April 2, Israeli forces began capturing the so-called Morag Axis—a corridor named after a former Israeli settlement located between Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza. On Saturday, the military said its 36th Division had completed establishing control over that axis, effectively cutting Rafah off from Khan Younis.
Rafah spans approximately 60 square kilometers and borders Egypt to the south. Hundreds of thousands have already fled the area amid the ongoing offensive.
The military campaign was launched after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
In response, Israel began a wide-scale military operation in Gaza. Since then, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory. The majority of Gaza’s population is now displaced, and much of the strip lies in ruins.
Israel resumed its offensive in March after a ceasefire that had been in place since January effectively collapsed. Officials say military operations will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are released and Hamas is removed from power in Gaza.
Hamas, for its part, has said it will only release hostages as part of a broader deal to end the war and has rejected calls to disarm. A Hamas delegation is expected in Cairo this weekend to engage in further ceasefire negotiations, according to a source within the group.