The Israeli army said on Friday that it had completed control of the entire "Morag axis" and "completely encircled" the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to official media.

The Israeli Army Radio reported in a post on the X platform that "the army announced significant progress in ground operations in the southern Gaza Strip," as it completed what it described as "the institutionalization of the Morag Corridor," a land corridor extending north from the border with Egypt to the outskirts of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the Israeli army radio, "Forces from the 36th Division and the 188th Armored Brigade were able to take complete control of the axis and surround the city of Rafah from all sides."

The radio station reported that Rafah was now "completely besieged" by Israeli forces.

She stated that "the next phase includes operations to consolidate control within the Morag axis and prepare to expand the incursion into Rafah, with the aim of incorporating it into the border buffer zone as an area under Israeli control."