Israel forces announce new ‘Magen Oz’ corridor to cut off east Khan Younis amid truce talks

The Israeli Occupation military announced Wednesday that it has established a new “corridor” in southern Gaza, an area cleared of buildings and farmland the military referred to as a “security” zone. The new corridor, named Magen Oz, cuts eastern Khan Younis off from the west.

A drone video of the Magen Oz corridor. Released by the IDF on July 16, 2025

The corridor is the latest of several zones that the Israeli military has carved through Gaza using wide-scale demolitions to divide the strip into separate regions and expand Israeli control over movement.

Its establishment was preceded by dozens of military displacement orders for neighborhoods across Khan Younis, and comes as a delegation from Israel is due in Cairo to discuss a US-backed ceasefire — an agreement in which Israel’s withdrawal from the besieged enclave is a major point of contention.

The Israeli military said the corridor, which extends for 15 kilometers and adjoins the existing “Morag” zone that separated Khan Younis from Rafah, will be used mainly to pressure Hamas and try to defeat the Khan Younis brigade of the Qassam Brigades.

An illustration of the Magen Oz and Morag corridors. Released by the IDF on July 16, 2025

The Israeli military began to clear and fortify zones within the strip in February 2024 in regions resembling the “five fingers” plan of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the strip’s occupation. It first established the Netsarim corridor to cut off areas of northern Gaza from the rest of the strip.

Less than two months later, Israeli forces invaded the Rafah border crossing and took control of the Philadelphi corridor between Gaza and Egypt, effectively controlling the entire southern border of Palestinian Rafah.

In March, weeks after Israel broke the ceasefire, the Occupation military gained full control over Rafah by establishing the Morag corridor, cutting Rafah completely from neighboring Khan Younis. The ‘Mefalsim corridor,’ also established since the ceasefire, cuts through northern Gaza to separate Gaza City from the rest of the north, while an incomplete corridor named ‘Kissufim,’ opened in November 2024, seeks to separate Deir al-Balah from Khan Younis.

The corridors have been used to extend Israeli military ground control inside the strip and launch deadly advances targeting people in their homes or in streets across Gaza. Forces stationed to occupy the corridors have targeted civilians attempting to move between the separated areas, with documented instances of forces abducting and killing passing pedestrians, including young children.

The continued presence of the occupied zones has been a major block to ceasefire negotiations. Hamas leader Bassem Naim said on Wednesday that the new axis does not constitute a major military shift given Israel's complete control over Gaza. It is, however, a clear indication of the Occupation's intention to remain inside the strip, Naim said.

He stressed that, contrary to public statements, Israel has not submitted to negotiators any new maps of its military presence in Gaza, which, along with the new corridor, indicate that the Occupation government’s participation in the negotiations falls solely within the framework of "improving its image within Israel and easing international pressure."

Amid the renewed talks for a 60-day truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his commitment to a post-truce plan to displace Palestinians in Gaza to a confined space in southern Gaza, between Morag and Philadelphi, and resume the war in full force until Hamas is disarmed.

The establishment of the new corridor comes against the backdrop of the renewed ceasefire and prisoner release talks ushered by US President Donald Trump.