Israeli Prime Minister declared that they will establish a “second Philadelphi Corridor” in the Gaza Strip. This could entail the separation of Rafah from the rest of Gaza. Israel is expanding its occupation in Palestinian territories. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that they will create a new “security corridor” in Gaza Strip by launching new attacks to end the ceasefire. Netanyahu, in his statement on Wednesday, April 2nd, claimed that this move aims to exert pressure on Hamas. According to the evaluation of The Associated Press (AP) news agency, the new corridor Israel plans to establish in Gaza could mean that the southern city of Rafah will be separated from the rest of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu’s statement came after Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the expansion of their operations in the Gaza Strip.

NETANYAHU: WE WILL CREATE A SECOND PHILADELPHI CORRIDOR
The Israeli Prime Minister dubbed the line they aim to establish in the Gaza Strip as the “Morrag Corridor.” Morrag derives its name from a formerly illegal Jewish settlement located between Khan Yunis and Rafah. With this statement, Netanyahu indicated that the corridor would be opened between Khan Yunis and Rafah and argued that this line would be the “second Philadelphi Corridor.”

The Philadelphi Corridor, also known as the “Salahaddin Corridor,” located between Gaza and Egypt, is situated in a buffer zone under the 1979 “Camp David” agreement signed between Israel and Egypt. The corridor stretches 14.5 kilometers in length, several hundred meters in width, starting from the Mediterranean Sea and extending to the Kerem Abu Salim (Kerem Shalom) Border Crossing. This corridor has been under Israeli control since last May. Israel had reoccupied the Netzarim Corridor, connecting the south and north of the Gaza Strip, after breaking the ceasefire. Netanyahu, in his announcement yesterday, stated, “We are cutting off (Gaza) Strip and increasing pressure step by step; therefore, we are not giving up on our hostages.”

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY CRITICIZES NETANYAHU
The Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, criticized Netanyahu’s new corridor plan in Gaza and stated that they “completely rejected the plan.” Calling on Hamas, the Palestinian Authority demanded them to give up the administration of Gaza.

KATZ HAD ANNOUNCED THE EXPANSION OF “OPERATIONS”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had announced through his X account that they had extended their attacks by breaking the ceasefire again in the Gaza Strip. Katz, who stated that they aimed to occupy more land in the Gaza Strip with the expansion of the attacks since yesterday morning, argued that broadening the attacks in the Gaza Strip would increase pressure on Hamas and the people of Gaza, and these areas would be included in Israel’s “security zone.” Israeli state television KAN also reported that the military had initiated ground attacks on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday morning. The report mentioned that after intense airstrikes throughout the night, the army entered the region for the first time on the ground after the ceasefire was broken. The 36th Division, considered the largest in the Israeli army, consisting of armored vehicles and tanks and deployed under the Southern Command in preparation for the expansion of occupation, had entered the south of Gaza.