In a bold escalation of military and strategic pressure against Hamas, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that a significant portion of the Gaza Strip—referred to as "tens of percent" in Hebrew, implying more than 20% of the Strip—has now been transformed into an Israeli-enforced “security zone”, effectively rendering large areas of the enclave inaccessible to Palestinian residents.
This sweeping security transformation, Katz revealed Sunday on social media, is part of a broader, uncompromising campaign to neutralize Hamas' capabilities and force the terrorist group to surrender hostages and military infrastructure.
“Gaza will become smaller, more isolated, and increasingly empty of civilians as long as Hamas refuses to release our hostages and accept our terms,” Katz stated in a defiant post on X (formerly Twitter).
במהלך החג השלים צה"ל את תפיסת ציר מורג, שחוצץ בין חאן יונס לרפיח ומבתר את רצועת עזה ממזרח למערב לאורך 12 ק"מ והופך את המרחב שבין ציר פילדלפי למורג לחלק ממרחב הביטחון הישראלי.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 13, 2025
גם שטח התוחמת הצפונית בעזה מעמיק ומתרחב כחלק מאזור הביטחון ומההגנה על ההתיישבות הישראלית.
מאות אלפי…
The latest phase in Israel’s southern offensive saw the completion of the strategically critical "Morag Axis"—a newly established 12-kilometer corridor cutting from east to west across southern Gaza. This corridor now separates the Hamas stronghold of Rafah from Khan Younis, effectively sealing Rafah off and completing Israel’s encirclement of the city.
Massive Civilian Evacuations and Expanded Buffer Zones
According to Katz, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian residents have already been evacuated from the expanding combat zones—many of them forcibly displaced from northern towns such as Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia, as well as from Khan Younis and the entirety of Rafah in the south.
The northern Gaza Strip has seen a dramatic transformation, with previously civilian-populated regions now converted into sterile buffer zones—areas firmly under IDF surveillance and off-limits to any potential return by Hamas operatives.
Israel Renews Threats To Hamas As It Intensifies Operations In Gaza
— cvetko35 (@cvetko35) April 14, 2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Hamas Movement that if it refuses to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will intensify its operations in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/E0ejxkwZbf
These moves, Israeli officials say, are not just tactical. They are strategic steps designed to reshape the battlefield and pressure Hamas to comply with Israeli demands: total disarmament, hostage release, and political capitulation.
Israel's Doctrine: Escalation Until Capitulation
As negotiations in Cairo continue to falter—with Hamas reportedly refusing anything short of a permanent ceasefire—Israel has adopted a hardline position.
“The more Hamas digs in, the more we will shrink Gaza. The enclave will keep shrinking until Hamas is nothing more than a memory,” an Israeli source told The Judean.
Katz emphasized that the expansion of Israeli-controlled security zones across both northern and southern Gaza is only the beginning.
Defense Minister Israel Katz says the IDF completed the capture of the Morag Corridor in Gaza, which separates Khan Yunis from Rafah.
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) April 13, 2025
“Hundreds of thousands of [Gazan] residents have already evacuated and tens of percent of Gaza’s territory has become part of Israel’s security…
“We will continue escalating our operations for as long as Hamas refuses our conditions. There will be no relief, no ceasefire, and no end until every last hostage is freed and Hamas is dismantled—militarily and ideologically.”
Diplomacy Falters in Cairo as Israel Signals Resolve
Despite continued efforts by Egyptian intelligence to mediate between Israel and Hamas, the diplomatic road appears increasingly impassable. Hamas is reportedly demanding a full and permanent ceasefire, a red line Israel refuses to cross so long as Hamas maintains its fighting force and ideology of annihilation.
Israeli officials believe Hamas’ intransigence has left them no choice but to apply unrelenting military and psychological pressure. The growing network of security zones, coupled with precision strikes and ground incursions, underscores a singular message: Hamas will not outlast Israel’s willpower.
As the Passover holiday approaches, Israel is signaling that this will be a season of renewed liberation—not only from historical bondage, but from the grip of modern terrorism.
