Israel announced on Saturday, April 12, that its military had completed the takeover of a new corridor in southern Gaza, advancing its efforts to seize large parts of the war-battered Palestinian territory. "The [Israeli army] has now completed its takeover of the Morag axis, which crosses Gaza between Rafah and Khan Yunis, turning the entire area between the Philadelphi Route [along the border with Egypt] and Morag into part of the Israeli security zone," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement addressed to residents of Gaza. "Soon, [Israeli army] operations will intensify and expand to other areas throughout most of Gaza, and you will need to evacuate the combat zones," he added. "In northern Gaza as well – in Beit Hanoun and other neighbourhoods – residents are evacuating, the area is being taken over and the security zone is being expanded, including in the Netzarim corridor," Katz continued.
Shortly thereafter, the Israeli military issued a direct evacuation order for residents of Khan Yunis and surrounding areas in southern Gaza, ahead of a planned strike after projectiles were fired from there earlier in the day. Israeli army "troops are operating with significant force in the area, and will strike with intensity on any location from which rockets are launched," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said, on X. "For your safety, move immediately westward to recognised shelters in Al-Mawasi" area, he added.
The announcements came as Hamas expected "real progress" towards a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, with senior leaders from the Palestinian movement scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Saturday. A Hamas official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the group anticipated the meeting in Cairo would yield significant progress.
"We hope the meeting will achieve real progress towards reaching an agreement to end the war, halt the aggression and ensure the full withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza," the official, who is familiar with the ceasefire negotiations, said, on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter. According to the official, Hamas has not yet received any new ceasefire proposals, despite Israeli media reports suggesting that Israel and Egypt had exchanged draft documents outlining a potential ceasefire and hostage release agreement. "However, contacts and discussions with mediators are ongoing," he added, accusing Israel of "continuing its aggression" in Gaza.
The Times of Israel has reported that Egypt's proposal would involve the release of eight living hostages and eight bodies, in exchange for a truce lasting between 40 and 70 days and a substantial release of Palestinian prisoners.
Since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in mid-March, Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza has displaced hundreds of thousands of people while the military has seized large areas of the war-battered territory. Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly said that the ongoing assault aims to pressure Hamas into freeing the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Hamas on Saturday said that the offensive not only "kills defenceless civilians but also makes the fate of the occupation's prisoners (hostages) uncertain."