Netanyahu asks Israeli army to expand control in Gaza to take over at least 70% of Strip: Report | Today’s news
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (local time) that he had ordered the country’s military to take over 70 percent of Gaza.
He made the remarks during an interview at a conference in the occupied West Bank, adding that Tel Aviv was “tightening” its grip on Hamas, CNN reported.
Israel is expanding its control over the Gaza Strip
Netanyahu said: “We are now at 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50%; we have moved to 60%,” adding: “My directive is to move to – step by step – primarily 70. Let’s start with that.” As Netanyahu spoke, the audience called for him to take over the entire Gaza Strip.
In addition, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released maps to international aid groups in April showing that the military already controls about 64 percent of Gaza.
Read also | Israel says Hamas’ new military chief, Mohammed Odeh, has been killed in an attack on Gaza
Seizing most of Gaza would force some 2 million Palestinians into a shrinking fraction of the fractured coastal enclave, the report said.
Earlier, on May 15, Netanyahu announced that the Israeli military had expanded its control over the Gaza Strip. At the time, he said: “There were those who said: get out, get out. We didn’t get out. Today we are checking… how much? 60 percent. We’ll see tomorrow.”
Ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas
Under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces withdrew to the demarcation line known as the “Yellow Line”, which included roughly 53 percent of Gaza.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas accused Tel Aviv of moving the “yellow line” and said it “constitutes an explicit and continued undermining of the ceasefire agreement, a serious violation of its provisions and a blatant attempt to impose new facts on the ground by force in order to consolidate military control over the Strip and undermine any real chance to stabilize the situation or succeed.”
Read also | Who was Izz al-Din al-Haddad? Israel kills Hamas military commander
During the first phase of the ceasefire, the remaining hostages captured in the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza War were released in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.
The transition to the second phase of the ceasefire, which was supposed to include the disarmament of Hamas and the subsequent withdrawal of the Israeli army, has been delayed for months, AFP reported.
Gaza marked by daily violence
Despite the ceasefire, Gaza continues to be plagued by daily violence, with both the Israeli army and Hamas accusing each other of violating the cease-fire that has been in place since October 10 last year.
Tel Aviv has so far killed more than 900 people since the ceasefire began, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
Israel said on Wednesday it had killed the new head of Hamas’ armed wing in Gaza, Mohammed Odeh, after killing his predecessor earlier this month.
Since the October 2023 attack by Hamas, Israel has systematically targeted the group’s leaders both in Gaza and throughout the region. Odeh is the fourth commander of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades that Israel says has been killed since the start of the Gaza war.
Read also | Israel is tightening its grip on Gaza as the standoff with Hamas continues
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday reiterated Israel’s goal of ending Hamas’ rule over Palestinian territory and hinted at a plan to forcibly displace its residents.
