The 'Morag axis': What we know about Israel's latest plan to divide Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday the capture of an area that he referred to as the "Morag axis" in the southern Gaza Strip.

This area consists mainly of agricultural land located between Khan Younis and Rafah, stretching from east to west across the Gaza Strip.

It includes parts of what the Israeli military had previously designated as a "humanitarian zone", where they had told internally displaced Palestinians to seek refuge.

The area had not been identified as an "axis", also known as a "corridor", until Netanyahu's announcement.

The name "Morag" that Netanyahu used refers to an illegal Israeli settlement that was established in the region between 1972 and 2005.

What's been happening in Rafah?

Israeli ground and aerial forces have been relentlessly attacking Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, since they resumed bombing the besieged enclave last month. 

They have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians since then, and more than 50,400 since October 2023.

Troops have raided prominent residential neighbourhoods in the city - which was densely populated before the war - and indiscriminately killed civilians, including executing medics, while forcing tens of thousands to flee on foot. The military has said its aim is to "encircle" Rafah.

Why is Israel doing this?

According to Israeli Channel 12, the separation of Khan Younis and Rafah is part of the military’s plan to implement US President Donand Trump’s proposal of removing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. 

A defence source told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that they were surprised by Netanyahu’s announcement that the army had seized the “Morag axis”. 

The source said the military’s plan to control the area separating Rafah and Khan Younis had not been approved, and that its disclosure could endanger troops. It was still unclear how the route could be connected to the sea, as it runs through the "humanitarian zone", the source added.

What has Netanyahu said about the plan?

Netanyahu explained that the purpose of controlling the area is to “divide” the Gaza Strip by cutting Rafah off from Khan Younis and to “increase pressure step by step so they will give us our hostages”.  

It remains unclear what Netanyahu meant by "seizing" the area.

How else has Israel tried to divide Gaza?

Israeli forces previously attempted to control east-to-west corridors in northern Gaza, parallel to the so-called "Morag axis", as part of a military strategy to increase pressure on specific regions.

These included the so-called Netzarim Corridor, located between Gaza City and central Gaza, which blocked the movement of people between the enclave's north and south.

Israeli forces withdrew from the corridor as part of the ceasefire agreement signed with Hamas in January, a deal Israel breached on 18 March when it resumed widespread attacks on Gaza.

Before the ceasefire, Israeli forces controlled most of the area between Gaza City and the northern Gaza governorate, as part of the "Generals’ Plan", which sought to expel all Palestinians from northern Gaza. They also later withdrew from that area.

Currently, Israeli forces control the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt in southern Rafah.

According to the terms of the January ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor by the end of the first phase, a clause they failed to honour. Netanyahu called the “Morag axis” the “Second Philadelphi” route.