Netanyahu orders Israeli military to take control over 70% of Gaza territory
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Netanyahu orders Israeli military to take control over 70% of Gaza territory")
Benjamin Netanyahu Photograph: (AFP)
Israel PM Netanyahu says Israel will control 70% of Gaza as ceasefire tensions rise and Hamas accuses Israel of violating the agreement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (May 28) that he has directed Israel’s military to take over 70% of Gaza’s territory. Speaking during a conference in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said Israel is increasing pressure on Hamas by expanding its control in Gaza. “We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50%. We moved to 60%,” he said. “My directive is to move to, take it step by step, first of all, 70. Let’s start with that.” As Netanyahu addressed the audience, attendees called for Israel to take control of all of Gaza.
In late April, maps issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to international aid groups showed the military already controlling around 64% of Gaza. The continued expansion of Israeli-controlled areas could force nearly 2 million Palestinians into increasingly limited sections of the already devastated coastal enclave. Under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces had withdrawn to a demarcation zone known as the ‘yellow line’, leaving Israel in control of roughly 53% of Gaza.
On Tuesday, Hamas accused Israel of shifting the line and violating the ceasefire agreement. The group said that the move constitutes an explicit and ongoing undermining of the ceasefire agreement, a serious violation of its provisions, and an exposed attempt to impose new facts on the ground by force, to entrench military control over the Strip and undermine any real chance of stabilizing the situation or making de-escalation efforts succeed. The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States and promoted by President Donald Trump, officially took effect in October. However, negotiations and implementation have slowed, increasing concerns that Gaza could become permanently divided.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Bulgarian diplomat overseeing implementation of the agreement, warned earlier this month that the yellow line could become a fence or wall, a permanent separation of Gaza if progress continues to stall. Mladenov also highlighted worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, saying that civilians are still being killed and families live in fear of Israeli airstrikes. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued conducting strikes in Gaza, claiming Hamas has violated the agreement by rebuilding and rearming its forces. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Public Health, more than 850 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire started.
Earlier this month, Israel assassinated Izz al-Din al-Haddad, leader of Hamas’ military wing. Eleven days later, Israeli forces reportedly killed his successor in another strike. “We vowed to eliminate everyone who led the October 7 massacre, and that is what will be done: They are all condemned to death everywhere,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday on social media.
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Mladenov said Hamas has also refused to disarm or decommission its weapons, which remains a key requirement of the ceasefire plan. Under the agreement, Israeli forces are expected to withdraw from occupied territory after Hamas disarms gradually, and an international security force takes control of parts of Gaza. While several countries have expressed willingness to contribute troops to the proposed security force, there is still no confirmed deployment timeline. In the meantime, Israel continues expanding its presence across Gaza, deepening concerns over the future of the territory.
