On Monday, Financial Times reporters Aditi Bhandari and Mehul Srivastava analyzed the IDF’s recent evacuation orders, highlighting—alongside satellite imagery—how Gaza’s population is being “squeezed into an ever-denser sliver of territory.” While such imagery may prompt hand-wringing in London, here in Israel, it signals something entirely different: a long-overdue shift in operational resolve. Under the new leadership of Eyal Zamir, who has replaced Herzi Halevi as Chief of Staff, the IDF appears to be finally doing what’s necessary.
The Financial Times analyzed hundreds of evacuation orders, including around 30 issued since Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas in March, after the terror group had refused to negotiate further hostage releases. The findings paint a clear picture: Israel, having authorized its military to operate across the entire Gaza Strip, has dramatically reshaped the territory—reducing the space available to civilian Arabs with each new order.
According to the FT, over 80% of Gaza—already one of the most densely populated regions in the world before the war—has now been designated as either under evacuation or as an Israeli military zone. While such findings may be framed as alarming abroad, for many Israelis, this signals a long-awaited strategic clarity. Hallelujah—Israel is finally asserting control and following through.
But Israel is not finished yet, according to the FT. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government appears intent on corralling the entire Gaza population into a small area in the southern part of the Strip, near the border with Egypt, while declaring the rest of the enclave off-limits.
OK, Corral!
The FT notes that Israel has already flattened much of northern Gaza. Additionally, in recent weeks, Israeli troops have been systematically razing the area south of the Morag corridor—named after an Israeli settlement that stood there from 1972 until 2005, when the Sharon government expelled thousands of Jewish residents from Gaza.
Satellite imagery indicates that Israel is preparing the area south of the Morag corridor for a sustained presence. Large sections of land have been cleared, with what appear to be military outposts taking shape—protected by earthen berms and accompanied by parked military vehicles.
A map released by the IDF further reveals that aid distribution points have been established along the corridor. These points are part of a broader strategy to replace Hamas’s authority with a patchwork of foreign contractors, local armed civilians, and Israeli soldiers overseeing the delivery of humanitarian aid.
According to the FT, the severe, overcrowded, and increasingly unlivable conditions in Gaza are not an unintended consequence but, in fact, align with the publicly stated goals of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He has openly described this humanitarian crisis as a necessary stage in realizing a long-standing ambition of Israel’s right: encouraging the mass departure of Palestinians from Gaza.
“They will understand that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza,” Smotrich said. “They will be totally despairing”—with the implied result being that they would choose to leave the territory, abandoning it to Israeli control.
The message behind such a strategy is blunt and brutal: let this serve as a deterrent to any future group of Islamic terrorists who consider targeting Israeli civilians.
