IDF completes corridor bisecting Gaza’s Khan Yunis

IDF Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that if a hostages-for-ceasefire deal is reached, the army will halt and reposition its forces along lines determined by the political echelon.

“If there is no deal, my directive to the Southern Command is to intensify and expand the fighting as much as possible,” he said, during a tour of the Gaza Strip.

Speaking with commanders of the Givati Brigade, Zamir said, “If there is a deal to release the hostages, it will be made possible primarily thanks to your fighting.”

The Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday that it had completed the Magen Oz corridor during a special operation in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza.

According to the IDF, the security corridor spans 15 kilometers (9.32 miles), cutting through Khan Yunis’s eastern and western sectors. The Israeli military described the corridor as a strategic element in exerting pressure on Hamas and securing the decisive defeat of its Khan Yunis Brigade.

Troops from the 36th Division’s 188th Armored Brigade and the Golani Brigade were involved in establishing the corridor, which links to the Morag corridor that separates Khan Yunis from Rafah.

The IDF also reported that soldiers had killed dozens of terrorists and located and dismantled terrorist infrastructure, including weapons stockpiles and tunnel routes.

“The Southern Command continues to expand and solidify operational control over the central corridor and operate to protect the security of the civilians of the State of Israel, and the residents of the communities near the Gaza Strip in particular,” the IDF stated.

Israeli forces remain active throughout the Palestinian enclave as part of the months-long “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” a campaign within the broader war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly cross-border assault on southern Israel.

In the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli troops eliminated a terror cell shortly after it fired an anti-tank missile at forces. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Additionally, IDF troops dismantled a rocket launch site used to fire on Israeli communities near Gaza on Monday and eliminated several terrorists attempting to plant explosives in the area.

In 24 hours between Monday and Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force struck more than 120 targets across the Strip, including terrorist cells, weapons storage facilities and underground infrastructure.

On Tuesday, the IDF said troops had uncovered and dismantled a significant terror tunnel network stretching more than 2 miles long (3.5 kilometers) in Khan Yunis.

The tunnel network, described as a “major route,” reportedly consisted of multiple branches and was used by terrorists as a hideout. Inside, engineers and troops uncovered forms of terrorist infrastructure, including concealed storage areas for explosives and weapons.

During the mission, soldiers also uncovered and deactivated explosive devices that were believed to be intended for attacks on Israeli forces operating in the area. Additional arms caches were discovered during sweeps of the tunnel complex and surrounding locations.