Israel opens new military corridor in southern Gaza

Announcement comes as ceasefire talks stall and Israeli ministers float plan to force Gazans south

Many displaced Palestinians have fled to Khan Younis in the south of Gaza. Reuters

Israel says it has created an army-controlled route through the Gazan city of Khan Younis, the latest in a series of corridors to cut the strip into sections.

The corridor, called Magen Oz, stretches about 15km between eastern and western Khan Younis, according to a military statement on Wednesday. “This corridor serves as a key component in applying pressure on Hamas and achieving the decisive defeat of its Khan Younis Brigade,” it added.

The route further divides the south of the strip, in which large numbers of civilians are sheltering after being displaced from the north and centre. The new corridor intersects with the Morag Corridor, which cuts off Khan Younis from the far south of the strip.

Israel has used such corridors throughout the Gaza war to exert control over the strip and prevent the movement of Gazans. The latest announcement comes as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas appear to be stalling, with a key stumbling block being the timeline and extent to which Israeli forces would withdraw from the strip during a deal.

Defence Minister Israel Katz has presented plans to force all Gazans into a “humanitarian city” on the ruins of the strip’s southernmost city, Rafah. In a briefing to Israeli journalists, Mr Katz said the military would “move” 600,000 Palestinians into the zone, followed by the entire population after which an “emigration plan” would be enacted.

Twenty-one Palestinians died after gas fired into the crowd caused a crush at an aid distribution centre in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Wednesday, the enclave's Health Ministry said.