Gaza under fire: Israel's tactic to push between Rafah and Khan Yunis amid bombardment

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  
 
The Israeli army has intensified its military operations in Gaza and along the border as part of its "Operation Strength and Sword," a campaign to depopulate large areas of the Palestinian enclave, gaining territorial control and forcibly displacing residents. 

The latest escalation has come with increased bombardments, pushing the Palestinian death toll since the start of the war to more than 50,700, with over 70 percent of the victims being women, children, and the elderly.

Israeli minister Gila Gamliel, a member of the security cabinet, publicly lauded what she described as the "cleansing" of areas in Gaza—a term she used while advocating for the displacement of more than one million Palestinians.

A key objective in the current phase of the operation is the seizure of the "Morag Axis," a strategic corridor between Khan Yunis and Rafah. The axis runs parallel to the Philadelphi Corridor and links Gaza's eastern border to the Mediterranean Sea through the Al Mawasi area, which has served as a humanitarian zone for displaced civilians.

Military experts warn of serious consequences should the army proceed with its plans to capture this axis. The objective aims to isolate Rafah and prepare for a ground incursion between the city and Khan Yunis, in coordination with airstrikes from the Israeli Air Force.

The escalation continues as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to visit Washington early next week, and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Tel Aviv.

Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives in southern Gaza have intensified amid reports that displacement operations have proven more "effective" when carried out under heavy shelling. 

Meanwhile, Hamas has warned it will not relocate Israeli hostages from areas Israel is targeting for operations—a warning that families of the hostages have called "a potential death sentence for their loved ones."

As the war drags on, Palestinian civilians remain the primary victims, caught between military strategy and political calculations.