Israel opens new Magen Oz corridor, splitting Khan Yunis in southern Gaza

The Israeli army announced the opening of a new 15-kilometer security corridor, “Magen Oz,” in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. This new route, established after the Philadelphia and Morag corridors, runs north-south through the middle of Khan Yunis, dividing the city in two.

A statement from the army noted that the 15-kilometer corridor, which splits the eastern and western parts of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, has been completed.

According to a report in Ynet News, the operation was carried out by the 188th Armored Brigade and the Golani Brigade, under the 36th Division. The army statement claimed that the Magen Oz corridor is a “key element” for pressuring and neutralizing Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade. It was also stated that the Israeli army will now enter previously untouched neighborhoods, including the Hamed neighborhood on the coastal strip and the Khan Yunis refugee camp.

The report suggests that the newly opened corridor could be a bargaining chip that strengthens Israel’s hand in the ongoing ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations. At the center of these discussions are the “humanitarian aid city” and transportation routes that Israel plans to establish on the ruins of Rafah.

The Israeli army asserted that troops advancing along the Magen Oz route neutralized weapons depots, tunnel networks, and numerous militants. The statement added, “The Southern Command continues to expand and consolidate its operational control over the central corridor; these operations are being carried out specifically to ensure the security of Israeli settlements near the Gaza Strip.”

Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced that he had instructed Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir to prepare a plan to establish a “humanitarian aid city” in Rafah for the purpose of deporting Palestinians to other countries.

Katz stated that under this plan, they aim to first deport 600,000 Palestinians, and subsequently all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, to the area, for which they would establish a “tent city.”

Noting that Palestinians who enter the area after being screened will not be able to return to other parts of the Gaza Strip, Katz emphasized that this is “very important for Israel” in order to realize the goal of deporting Palestinians to other countries under the guise of “voluntary migration.”