Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he directed the country’s military to take control over 70% of Gaza, much more than the 53% it controlled under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement.
To bring an end to the devastating Israel-Hamas war, which left most of Gaza in ruins, the Israeli military agreed to withdraw to positions behind the so-called “yellow line.” Though the agreement called for Israel to gradually cede territory back to the Palestinians as part of a multi-phase peace effort, contingent on Hamas also holding its end of the bargain, the military has instead gradually increased its controlled territory. The Israeli military gave maps to aid groups late last month showing it was in control of about 64% of Gaza, CNN reported.
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On Thursday, speaking at a conference in the West Bank, Netanyahu went even further, suggesting that Israel was progressing to have total control over the enclave.
“We are now in 60% of the Gaza Strip, more or less. We were at 50%; now we’ve moved to 60%. My directive is to move to…” Netanyahu began, but was interrupted by the hard-liner audience shouting, “100! 100!”
“Wait, let’s go in order. First 70%. Let’s start with that,” the prime minister responded.
Hamas has already caught on to the advancing line, protesting on Tuesday that the moving of the line “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, with the aim of entrenching military control over the Strip and undermining any real chance of stabilizing the situation or making de-escalation efforts succeed.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.
IRAN ARRESTED AT LEAST 6,000 PEOPLE SINCE WAR BEGAN: RIGHTS GROUP
Gaza, previously the center of the wars in the Middle East after Oct. 7, 2023, has shifted to the back burner of global attention after the October ceasefire and war with Iran. Despite the drop off in violence, Israel has continued surgical strikes against Hamas leaders and fighters, killing hundreds in the process.
The vast degradation of Iran has cut Hamas off from its foremost ally, leaving it more vulnerable than ever. Despite this, the group has continued to refuse to disarm.
