“Israel” says seizing large areas in Gaza, expanding buffer zones

“Israel” said Wednesday its troops are seizing "large areas" in Gaza and making the Palestinian territory "smaller and more isolated", as an air strike on a residential block killed at least 23 people.

Defence Minister Israel Katz's comments come weeks into a renewed offensive by the military on the war-battered territory, which has displaced hundreds of thousands, while an aid blockade has revived the spectre of famine for its 2.4 million people.

"Large areas are being seized and added to Israel's security zones, leaving Gaza smaller and more isolated," Katz said during a visit to the newly announced Morag Corridor between the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis.

Katz emphasised that “Israel” would keep increasing pressure on Gaza "until the hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated".

As the available space for Gazans recedes to expanding buffer zones, Katz said “Israel” was encouraging plans for "voluntary emigration... in accordance with the vision of the US president, which we are working to implement".

US President Donald Trump had earlier this year proposed a plan to develop Gaza into a "Riviera of the Middle East" while displacing its population elsewhere.

The “Israeli” military meanwhile continued to pound the territory on Wednesday.

Gaza's civil defence agency said an air strike on a residential building in Gaza City killed at least 23 people, most of them children or women, while the military claimed it targeted a "senior Hamas" militant.

The strike took place in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City, the agency's spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

"The death toll from the Shujaiya massacre has risen to 23 martyrs, including eight children and eight women," he said, adding that more than 60 people were wounded.

"There are still people trapped under the rubble."