Israeli troops are deployed in a new safety corridor across the south of Gaza

Such Aviv, Israel (AP) – Israeli troops have deployed in a newly established security corridor across the south Gazaannounced the army on Saturday, when the pressure on the Hamas militant group increased weeks in the renewed war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the new Morag corridor And suggested that he would cut the southern city of Rafah, that Israel had ordered the rest of Gaza to the evacuation.

A military statement said that troops from the 36th division had been deployed. It was not immediately clear how much, nor where exactly the new corridor was. Morag is the name of a Jewish colony which was once between Rafah and Khan Younis, and Netanyahu had suggested that he would run between cities.

The maps published by the Israeli media showed the corridor performing the width of the narrow coastal strip from east to west.

Netanyahu said it would be “a second Philadelphi corridorReferring to the Gaza side of the border with Egypt further south, which has been under Israeli control since last May.

Last month, Israel broken a ceasefire in Gaza with a surprise bombardment After trying to put pressure on Hamas to accept new conditions offered for the truce that had settled in January. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed.

Israel quickly reaffirmed the control of the Netzarim corridor which cuts the northern third of Gaza, including Gaza City, from the rest of the band. The corridors of Philadelphi and Netzarim range from the Israeli border to the Mediterranean Sea.

“We cut the band and increase the pressure step by step, so that they give us our hostages,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday. His Minister of Defense said that Israel would seize large areas of Gaza and add them to his so-called security zones.

The announcement on Saturday came shortly after a White House manager confirmed that Netanyahu Monday would again meet President Donald TrumpTheir second meeting in the White House since Trump took office in January. The United States has been a mediator in cease-fire talks with Egypt and Qatar, but also supported the resumption of the fights of Israel.

After his previous meeting with Netanyahu, Trump made the surprise proposal that Palestinians moved to Gaza are permanently reinstalled Outside the territory and he suggested that the United States will take “property” in the redevelopment of the region. Palestinians, Arab nations and rights groups have strongly criticized the idea.

Israel has undertaken to degenerate the fighting with Hamas until the militant group returned the remaining hostages taken in October 7, 2023, which sparked the war, disarm and leaves the territory.

Israel last month interrupted all food, fuel and humanitarian aid supplies in Gaza in another pressure application on the militant group and more than 2 million Palestinians in the territory. Rights defense groups say tactics are a war crime. Gaza is largely based on humanitarian aid and its residents cannot leave easily.

Hamas says that it will only publish the 59 remaining hostages – 24 which would be alive – in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The group rejected the requirements to lay their arms or leave the territory.

The October 7 attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians. Some 251 hostages have been taken, most are released in ceasefire agreements and other agreements.

More than 50,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza at the Israel offensive, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. This does not say if they are civilians or combatants, but says that the majority have been women and children. Israel says he killed around 20,000 activists, without providing evidence.

Among the dead in Gaza, there are 15 Palestinian doctors killed last month by Israeli forces, which then Bulldozer on bodies With their mutilated vehicles, buried them in a mass tomb.

War is the deadliest and most destructive fight of all time between Israel and Hamas. He left a large part of devastated Gaza and most of his displaced residents, often several times.

The hostage families of their weekly rally have again pleaded for a cease-fire contract to bring everyone back to the house of Gaza, alive or dead.

“Netanyahu works hard to ensure that our hostages die, rather than working hard to save their lives,” said Efrat Machikawa, hostage niece Gadi Moses.

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The writer Associated Press Fatima Hussein in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed.

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