Israel surrounds Gaza’s Rafah, seizes control of key land corridor

CAIRO – 12 April 2025: Israeli forces announced on Saturday that they have fully encircled Rafah in Gaza as part of their strategy to expand control over the Strip.

The military confirmed its takeover of the Morag axis, an area that previously housed an Israeli settlement situated between Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

According to the army, the entire zone between the Philadelphi Route along the Egyptian border and Morag has been designated as part of the "Israeli security zone."

The Israeli military today issued a new evacuation order for residents of Khan Younis and surrounding areas in preparation for an impending strike.

The developments come while a delegation from Hamas, led by their chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, headed to Cairo for talks with Egyptian mediatiors, an official told AFP.

"We hope the meeting will achieve real progress towards reaching an agreement to end the war, halt the aggression and ensure the full withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza," the source added.

On March 18, Israeli forces resumed the war in Gaza, killing over 1,500 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The latest hostilities raise the number of fatalities in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to nearly 51,000 people.

These military actions shattered a ceasefire that had taken effect in January, which allowed for the release of 38 captives—30 of whom were alive—in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas continues to hold 59 captives, with at least 22 believed to be alive, insisting that negotiations are the only way for Israel to recover its captives.

Hamas warned of the impact of renewed Israeli operations on the safety of the captives, saying Israel “must realize that this aggression represents a death sentence for the remaining captives in the Gaza Strip.”

This week, Hamas released a video showing captives Maxim Herkin and Bar Kupershtein, held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, stating that they “miraculously escaped death” after an Israeli strike hit the building where they were located.