Palestinian presidency condemns Israel's plan to divide southern Gaza

ISTANBUL

The Palestinian presidency condemned a plan by Israel to divide the southern Gaza Strip.

The statement Wednesday came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army is taking control of what he called the "Morag Axis," which is similar to the Philadelphi Corridor.

The presidency rejected Netanyahu’s announcement on establishing the new axis, which would sever the southern Gaza Strip, cutting off Khan Yunis from Rafah.

Calling the announcement a "true indication" of Israel's intentions to perpetuate its occupation of Gaza and divide the territory, the statement added that Israel’s plan violates international legitimacy and international law, which states that the Gaza Strip has been an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories since 1967.

The presidency urged the global community, especially the UN Security Council, to intervene urgently to halt the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.

It also called for "Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to stop the famine aimed at making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, and for the State of Palestine to fully assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip to implement a recovery plan and begin reconstruction with the presence of our people."

"International silence has encouraged the occupation to persist in challenging international law and continue committing crimes against our people and land," it said, demanding that "the occupying state be compelled to adhere to international legitimacy and cease its aggression and crimes.”

The latest move is part of Israel’s intensifying genocidal war, fully supported by the US, against the Palestinian people in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

"We will take control of the Morag Axis, which will be an additional Philadelphi Route," Netanyahu said, according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

The Morag Axis is named after an Israeli settlement that was established in the area before Israel's withdrawal in 2005.

The Philadelphi Corridor is a narrow strip of land situated along the entirety of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt which has been under Israeli military control since May 2024.