Netanyahu says Israel is now dividing up Gaza. What does that mean on the ground?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military is “switching gears” in Gaza, dividing and seizing more parts of the strip, a move experts say could mean Israel establishing deeper, more long-term control over the territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military is “switching gears” in Gaza, dividing and seizing more parts of the strip, a move observers say could mean Israel establishing deeper, more long-term control over the territory. Israel says it will escalate its campaign against Hamas in Gaza until it agrees to revised ceasefire terms, with the defense minister vowing to seize “large areas” of the Strip. Gaza has seen an intense bombing campaign, with the territory’s health ministry saying at least 100 people have been killed in the space of 24 hours, bringing the total number of the dead to 1,163 since Israel renewed its military operations in the strip on March 18. It remains unclear how much land Israel is prepared to seize or whether permanent annexation is being considered, however Netanyahu gave some hints, in particular saying his troops would wrest control over another key strip of land. “Last night in the Gaza Strip, we switched gears. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is seizing territory, striking the terrorists and destroying the infrastructure,” Netanyahu said in a video speech on Wednesday. “We are now dividing the strip and increasing the pressure step by step, so that they will give us our hostages. And as long as they do not give them to us, the pressure will increase until they do.” “We are also doing something else: We are seizing the Morag Corridor. This will be the second Philadelphi, an additional Philadelphi Corridor,” he added.