Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the country’s military to expand its control over Gaza, saying the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) should move toward occupying 70 per cent of the territory.
Speaking during a conference in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israeli forces currently control about 60 per cent of Gaza, up from 50 per cent in recent months.
“We are now in 60 per cent of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50 per cent,” Netanyahu said. “My directive is to move to — take it step by step — first of all 70. Let’s start with that.”
His remarks drew applause from supporters at the event, with some calling for Israel to take full control of the enclave.
The latest move comes despite an October 2025 ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Hamas.
Under the deal, Israeli forces had withdrawn to a demarcation zone known as the “yellow line,” leaving Israel in control of roughly 53 per cent of Gaza.
Hamas has accused Israel of gradually expanding beyond agreed positions, describing the move as a violation of the ceasefire and an attempt to impose “new facts on the ground.”
The expansion of Israeli military control would further squeeze Gaza’s civilian population of nearly two million people into a smaller portion of the devastated coastal territory.
According to maps issued by the IDF to international aid agencies in April, Israel was already controlling approximately 64 per cent of Gaza.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Bulgarian diplomat overseeing implementation of the ceasefire agreement, recently warned that the temporary demarcation line could become a permanent division if negotiations fail to progress.
“Without progress, the yellow line could turn into a fence or wall, a permanent separation of Gaza,” he said earlier this month.
Israel has continued carrying out military strikes in Gaza during the ceasefire period, accusing Hamas of rebuilding its military capabilities and violating the agreement.
Gaza health authorities say more than 850 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire took effect.
Earlier this month, Israel confirmed the killing of Hamas military leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad and later announced the assassination of his successor.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz reiterated the government’s position on Thursday, saying all those involved in the October 7 attacks would be targeted.
“We vowed to eliminate everyone who led the October 7 massacre, and that is what will be done,” Katz said.
Hamas, however, has refused to disarm a key condition tied to the broader ceasefire arrangement and any future Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas in Gaza.
