The IDF on Saturday evening released footage from its first operations in the Morag Corridor in the Gaza Strip, marking the return of the 36th Division to combat inside the coastal enclave.
According to the military, this is the first time Israeli forces have operated in the Morag Corridor, located between Rafah and Khan Younis. The renewed activity comes as part of broader IDF operations both inside the Gaza Strip and beyond.
Footage of 36th Division troops in action in Morag Corridor in Gaza
(Video: IDF)
As part of the mission, 36th Division troops are working in the Rafah area to locate and destroy remaining terrorist infrastructure. The IDF said that, so far, forces have uncovered weapons and eliminated dozens of terrorists with the support and direction of the division’s integrated fire coordination system.
The operation follows an announcement on Wednesday by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said IDF activity in the southern Gaza Strip would be expanded. Hours later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military’s objective includes seizing control of the Morag Corridor.
"Tonight in the Gaza Strip, we shifted gears," Netanyahu said in a recorded message. "The IDF is taking ground, striking terrorists, destroying infrastructure. And we’re doing something else—we’re taking over the Morag Corridor."
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Netanyahu described the push as the creation of a “second Philadelphi Corridor,” referring to a thin strip of land stretching along the Egypt-Gaza border. “We are now slicing through the Strip,” he added.
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Netanyahu added that dividing the Gaza Strip and increasing pressure on Hamas is a key part of efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages. "The more they stall, the greater the pressure will be," he said. "We are determined to achieve the war's goals, and we are operating tirelessly, with a clear direction and mission. With God's help and the bravery of our soldiers—we will succeed."
Statements by Netanyahu and Katz suggest that, alongside exerting pressure on Hamas, the military’s limited operation may also have a secondary political aim: the reassertion of control over territory in the Gaza Strip.