Thursday 03 / April / 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that a security corridor across Gaza is being established.
Netanyahu said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had seized the "Morag axis" separating Rafah from Khan Younis, the Times of Israel reported. Morag was also the name of an Israeli settlement that once stood in the same area.
In his statement, Netanyahu said the military is "dissecting the (Gaza) Strip and increasing the pressure step by step so that [Hamas] will return our hostages," adding that Israel "is seizing territory, striking terrorists, and destroying infrastructure."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the offensive is now aimed at "seizing large areas that will be added to the security zones," without providing further details.
Israel has maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its security fence and has greatly expanded it since the war against Hamas began in 2023 following Hamas' terror attacks in southern Israel.
Israel says the buffer zone is necessary for security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab.
Israeli strikes hit Damascus neighborhood
The Syrian state news agency SANA and local officials reported that Israeli airstrikes struck the airport in the city of Hama and the
vicinity of the scientific research center in the Barzeh neighborhood of the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor also reported Israeli strikes in several areas of Syria, including the targeting of the research center in Damascus.
The Israeli military confirmed that it attacked Syrian military bases and other military infrastructure in Damascus.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on military sites in Syria since Islamist-led forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar Assad. Israel has said it wants to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities.
The scientific research center facilities in the Barzeh neighborhood had already been targeted by Israel shortly after Assad was ousted. Israel claimed the research center was used to develop guided missiles and chemical weapons.
