Israel to seize parts of Gaza as ops expand

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that military is dividing Gaza and "seizing territory" to force Hamas to free hostages held in the Palestinian territory

- Reuters

JERUSALEM: Israel announced a major expansion of military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying large areas of the enclave would be seized and added to its security zones, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops were seizing an area he called the Morag Axis, a reference to a former Israeli settlement once located in an area between the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip.

"Because we are now dividing the Strip and we are increasing pressure step by step so they will give us our hostages," he said in a video message.

He said the move, which would cut off Rafah from Khan Younis, would give Israel control of a second axis in southern Gaza in addition to the so-called 'Philadelphia Corridor', running along the border with Egypt, which Israel sees as a key line preventing the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.

Separately, the Israeli military said troops had completed the encirclement of the Tel al-Sultan area near Rafah and killed dozens of militants. It had also found two rockets as well as a launcher aimed at Israeli territory.