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Benjamin Netanyahu says he ordered Israeli forces to seize 70 percent of Gaza, claims control has risen from 50 to 60 percent despite an October ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had instructed the Israeli military to take control of 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip, signalling a major escalation despite the fragile ceasefire that came into effect in October.
Speaking at a conference in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said Israel was steadily increasing its territorial control inside Gaza as part of ongoing operations against Hamas.
“We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60 percent of the territory in the strip. You know, we were at 50, we moved to 60. My directive is to move to… 70 percent,” Netanyahu said, according to video footage aired by Israel’s Channel 12.
His remarks come days after Netanyahu publicly acknowledged that Israeli forces already control around 60 per cent of Gaza, highlighting the scale of Israel’s military presence in the enclave despite ongoing ceasefire arrangements.
Israeli forces have conducted extensive ground and air operations across Gaza since the war began, with the military maintaining that its objective is to dismantle Hamas infrastructure and weaken the group’s operational capabilities.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 900 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began. The ministry operates under Hamas authority, though its casualty figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
Israel has continued targeting Hamas leadership during the conflict. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had killed Mohammed Odeh, the new head of Hamas’s armed wing in Gaza, after his predecessor was also reportedly killed earlier this month.
Since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, the Israeli military has systematically targeted senior Hamas leaders both inside Gaza and elsewhere in the region.
Israeli officials say Odeh is the fourth commander of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades to be killed since the start of the war.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz reiterated that Israel’s objective remains the dismantling of Hamas rule in Gaza and also referred to a controversial plan involving the relocation of Gaza residents.
“The plan for voluntary migration from Gaza will also be implemented — everything will be done at the right time and in the right way,” Katz said on Wednesday.
The comments are likely to further intensify international concern over Gaza’s humanitarian situation and the future of the ceasefire process.
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