Israel's Gaza Partition Strategy Emerges: 50% of Territory Now Under IDF Control
Israel's military has established permanent security zones across Gaza, seizing control of approximately half the territory while cutting off key cities with strategic corridors. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed troops will maintain these positions indefinitely, creating buffer zones that reshape Gaza's geography and raising concerns about the territory's future.
Key Developments: Israel Establishes Permanent Military Presence
Israel has dramatically expanded its control over Gaza in recent weeks, implementing a partition strategy that divides the territory into distinct sectors. The "Morag Corridor," announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, creates a security buffer stretching from the Mediterranean Sea eastward, effectively separating Rafah from Khan Younis in southern Gaza France241.
"The IDF will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and [Israeli] communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza — as in Lebanon and Syria," Defense Minister Israel Katz stated last week BBC News2.
This marks a significant policy shift from previous operations, as the Israeli military is no longer evacuating areas after clearing them. The IDF has designated approximately 30% of Gaza as an "operational security perimeter," while expanding buffer zones from roughly 300 meters to one kilometer along the Israeli border BBC News2.
Beyond territorial control, Israel maintains a strict blockade on humanitarian aid that began on March 2, with Katz explicitly stating this blockade serves as "one of the main pressure levers" against Hamas AP News3.
Current partition of Gaza showing Israeli-controlled areas and security corridors
Global Reactions: Humanitarian Crisis Deepens Amid Territorial Control
The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that 66% of Gaza is now either designated as no-go areas or under evacuation orders, with approximately 500,000 Palestinians newly displaced in just one month France241.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has described Gaza as having been "turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance," highlighting that the humanitarian response is "severely struggling under the weight of insecurity and critical supply shortages" BBC News2.
"We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population of Gaza," said Amande Bazerolle, MSF emergency coordinator France241.
For Palestinians with deep roots in Rafah, the partition and potential annexation represent an existential threat. "What does it mean to annex Rafah? Does it mean I won't go back to my father's house? That Rafah won't exist?" questioned Salsabeel Jabr Abdullah Awad, a resident forced to flee Inkstick Media4.
The Trump administration's position on Israel's partition strategy remains unclear, though a previous U.S. proposal for resettling much of Gaza's population has been "universally rejected" by Palestinians and Arab countries AP News3.
Expert Insights: Strategic Implications and Future Scenarios
Military historian Tewfik Hamel notes that Israel's current strategy represents a "break with previous policies" and could lead to "a worsening of the already critical humanitarian crisis, and prolonged instability in the region" France241.
The permanent occupation of security zones creates significant implications for any potential ceasefire negotiations. Hamas has consistently demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and lasting ceasefire as preconditions for releasing the remaining 59 hostages, of whom only 24 are believed to be alive AP News3.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has framed the partition strategy as a means of pressure, stating during a recent White House visit: "We are dissecting the Gaza Strip and increasing the pressure step by step, so that they [Hamas] will return our hostages" France241.
This approach has drawn criticism from Israeli hostage families, who argue, "They promised that the hostages come first. In practice, Israel is choosing to seize territory before the hostages" AP News3.
Public opinion in Israel shows signs of division, with a recent Israel Democracy Institute survey indicating that 68 percent of Israelis prioritize the return of hostages over the destruction of Hamas France241.
Future Implications: Permanent Changes to Gaza's Landscape
The current partition of Gaza creates profound implications for the territory's future. With security corridors dividing major population centers and buffer zones making significant portions uninhabitable, Gaza's geography is being fundamentally altered.
According to Breaking the Silence, an Israeli NGO, the expanded buffer zone alone has consumed over 15 percent of Gaza's total territory and 35 percent of its agricultural land France241.
The human cost extends beyond physical displacement. For residents of Rafah potentially facing permanent annexation, the situation represents the erasure of both geography and memory. As one displaced resident noted, "For those of us raised in Rafah, it is more than geography. It is also memory. It is meaning and a home" Inkstick Media4.
Diplomatically, Israel's territorial strategy complicates ceasefire negotiations. Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been attempting to broker a new ceasefire more favorable to Israel, though these efforts have shown limited progress AP News3.
As Gaza's landscape transforms through strategic partition and permanent military presence, the question remains: Will these "temporary" security zones become the new permanent reality for Gaza, and what implications will this have for regional stability and the long-sought two-state solution?
