Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Saturday that IDF operations would soon expand to all areas of the Gaza Strip and urged residents to evacuate.
In a public message, Katz said Israel is working to facilitate the departure of Gazans to other countries in coordination with a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Katz confirmed that Israeli forces have completed their deployment along the Morag Corridor and now fully control southern Gaza, effectively cutting off Rafah from the rest of the coastal enclave. “The entire area from the Philadelphi Corridor to the Morag Corridor will be added to the security buffer zone,” he said. “Now we will operate in other areas of Gaza.”
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The IDF said in a statement that 36th Division troops completed the establishment of the Morag Corridor over the past 24 hours, severing the Rafah and Khan Younis Brigades. The IDF also reported destroying underground tunnels and other terror infrastructure in the area and encircling the city of Rafah.
Shortly after the military's statement, three rockets were launched from the Khan Younis area at Israeli communities near the border. All were intercepted, and no injuries were reported.
In anticipation of further strikes, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued a warning to residents of Khan Younis neighborhoods, urging them to evacuate. “Terror groups are responsible for you having to evacuate and for the suffering of civilians,” Adraee said. “We will attack with force the areas from where the rockets were launched.”