Israel to expand gas safety to enable Rafa

Israeli Defense Minister said he would expand his so -called “security zones” to turn on the southern city of Rafa.

During the visit to the area, Israel Katz said the military was leaving the gas “smaller” and “more isolated” to press on Hamas to release the hostages he was still holding.

The military has already confiscated the land that operates across the border of the Palestinian territory, which it characterized as a buffer zone to prevent attacks.

Extension to cover Rafa and its surrounding areas – which make up almost a fifth of Gaza – occurs after the military ordered civilians to evacuate and create a new corridor that separates them from the neighboring Khan Unis.

Two -thirds of the gases were labeled as “not going” or placed under an evacuation order because Israel restored the offensive against Hamas on March 18 after the collapse of a two -month ceasefire, the UN reports.

It states that 390,000 Palestinians – almost a fifth of 2.1 million – were again moved, without a safe place.

The UN also warns that supplies of food, medicines and fuel have ended because Israel has blocked Humanitarian aid supplies since March 2.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched back about 280,000 people before the war – last May last year, leaving most of the city in ruins.

He also confiscated a strategically important lane along the neighboring border with Egypt, known as the “Philadelphia” corridor, which, he said, is necessary to prevent smuggling in gas and Hamas.

During the ceasefire, which began in January, about 100,000 residents returned to the fact that there were houses in the city after the troops returned to the border areas.

March 31, almost two weeks after the war resumption, IDF issued a new order of extensive evacuation In this UN covered 97% of Rafa and its surrounding governorship, covering 64 km (25 sq.m).

Dispensed people were ordered to head to the camp camp in the coastal area of ​​al-Mausas, which previously IDF was labeled as a “humanitarian zone”.

As reported, in the Rafa area almost completely blank when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced three days later that troops “capture the corridor of the sea” – a reference to a former Jewish settlement located between Rafa and Khan UNIS.

He said it would be a “second Philadelphia” and raising Hamas to pass the rest of 59 hostages, 24 of which are considered alive.

On Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz visited troops located in a new corridor with senior Israeli commanders and journalists.

“IDF eliminates terrorists, placing and thwarting the terrorist infrastructure, as well as dismembering the gas strip, even in places such as the Corridor, where we have not acted today,” he said in the video later published by his office.

“The gas population is evacuated from combat areas, and many areas are confiscated and added to the Israeli state security zones, leaving gas to smaller and isolated.”

Katz also warned that “if Hamas continues to refuse and quickly does not release hostages, IDF will conduct intensive hostilities throughout the newspaper.”

Israeli journalist on the Ynet News website accompanied by the minister: “All Rafa will be evacuated and turn into a security zone. That’s what we do now.”

BBC asked IDF about comments.

On Thursday morning, it states that the troops continue to operate “in the area of ​​Rafa and along the corridor of the sea”, and that they “eliminated several terrorists located and dismantled the sites of terrorist infrastructure”, working on “creating operational control”.

Israeli military analysts believe that there is a plan to push the Palestinian civilians to the coast so that Israeli troops can focus on eliminating Hamas in urban areas.

According to local media, this strategy will also allow IDF to take control of assistance on the coast – bypassing both Hamas and international assistance agencies.

On Tuesday, the UN said that over the past three weeks IDF issued 15 evacuation orders and covered almost 131 square km (51 sq.m) or 36% of gas.

Another 30% of the territory was covered by the Israeli zone “not to walk” along the gas, and along the Vadi Gaza River, which separates the north and south of the territory.

Last month, the UN Human Rights warned that the evacuation orders did not meet the requirements of international law, accusing Israel of taking no residence measures for those who have suffered or provided satisfactory hygiene, health, safety and nutrition conditions.

The Israeli government said it evacuated civilians to protect them from harm and from the use of Hamas as “human shields” in violation of international law.

The UN has also stated that the five -week blockade in the Israel gas violates international law, which requires it to meet the basic needs of the civilian population, which is under its control and allows humanitarian aid quickly and freely.

In a separate development on Thursday, IDF announced that a strike in the eastern city of Gaza on Wednesday was killed by battalion Shajji Hamas commander, whom he called Hate Sheikh Khalil and stated that he had planned attacks from the area.

The local hospital said an attack that destroyed a four -storey building killed at least 29 people, including children.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross -border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 people hostage.

Since then, more than 50,880 people have been killed in Gaza, the Ministry of Health reports.