The Israeli army announced its complete control over a buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, meaning that Israel effectively controls the entire land border of the Palestinian territory. This comes as Israel continues its bombardment of Rafah in the southern sector, despite a ruling from the International Court of Justice ordering a halt to the attacks on the city, where half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have previously sought refuge.
In a statement broadcast on television, Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the Israeli army, stated that Israeli forces have achieved operational control over the "Philadelphi Route," which stretches along the border between Gaza and Egypt, referring to the 14-kilometer corridor by this name. Hagari said, "The Philadelphi Route was an oxygen line for Hamas that has been used to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip."
The border with Egypt at the southern end of the Gaza Strip is the only land border of the sector that has not been under direct Israeli control. Earlier on Wednesday, Israel deployed tanks to carry out attacks across Rafah and stated that its war on Hamas in Gaza is likely to continue throughout the year. Israeli tanks advanced into the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, despite the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to cease the attack on the city.
Residents in Rafah reported that Israeli tanks had moved into Tal al-Sultan west of the city and in Yabna and near al-Shabura in the center, before retreating to a buffer zone near the border with Egypt instead of remaining in their positions as seen in previous attacks. Haitham al-Hamss, deputy director of the ambulance and emergency services in Rafah, said, "We are receiving distress calls from residents in Tal al-Sultan regarding drone strikes while they are fleeing from the areas they live in towards safer areas."
Palestinian health officials reported that 19 civilians have been killed in airstrikes and bombardments by Israeli forces across Gaza. Israel accuses Hamas militants of hiding among civilians, a claim that Hamas denies. Palestinian Health Minister Majid Abu Ramadan urged Washington to pressure Israel to open the Rafah crossing for aid to enter, stating that there is no indication that Israeli forces will do this soon and that patients in the besieged sector are dying due to a lack of healthcare.
