Israel establishes new security corridor in Gaza Strip

The new Magen Oz route turns south and joins the Morag Corridor, completely encircling another portion of southern Gaza.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The IDF announced Wednesday that it has completed construction of a new route that splits Gaza’s second-largest city in two before joining the Morag Corridor north of Rafah.

The 15-kilometer-long Magen Oz corridor bisects Khan Yunis east to west. About midway through the Strip, it turns south, roughly paralleling the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone by the sea.

Built by soldiers from the 188th Armored and Golani brigades of the 36th Division, the army said this axis will play an important role in putting pressure on Hamas in general and defeating its Khan Yunis forces in particular.

The bisection of one of Hamas’ most important centers will ease the job of the 36th Division, which has spent several weeks in the city hunting down dozens of terrorists and destroying terror infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons caches.

On a broader level, Magen Oz completes the IDF encirclement around another portion of the Gaza Strip that adjoins the large section it already controls in the south.

That area is bounded by the Morag Corridor north of Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor to the south, which runs along the Egypt-Gaza border.

This is the area in which the Israeli government wants to set up a humanitarian city for 600,000 Gazan civilians that would be a Hamas-free zone and, it hopes, serve as a center for emigration from the Strip.

Hamas has completely rejected the plan and further demanded that the IDF leave the Morag Corridor in the ongoing 60-day cease-fire and hostage release negotiations.

Instituting another IDF axis route at this time could be a way to strengthen Israel’s bargaining position, even as it has reportedly shown flexibility regarding what portions of southern Gaza it would retreat from during a cease-fire.

Meanwhile, control over the new area will better safeguard border kibbutzim, the army said in a statement.

“The Southern Command continues to expand and solidify operational control over the central corridor and to operate in order to protect the security of the civilians of the State of Israel, and residents of the communities near the Gaza Strip in particular,” the IDF said.

These include Ein Hashlosha, Nir Oz and Nirim, all of which were overrun during the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and whose residents have yet to return in significant numbers, in part due to fears over their future safety.