The Israeli army, ordered to occupy 70% of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu does not hide his plan: “We will take care of the rest”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that he had ordered the army to ignore the terms of the truce that came into effect last October and take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, according to video footage broadcast by Israeli television, writes AFP.
“Right now we have (the Palestinian Islamist movement) Hamas by the throat. We now control 60 percent of the territory of the Strip” Gaza, Netanyahu said at a news conference in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, an excerpt of which Channel 12 aired on its website.
“You know,” the Israeli prime minister continued, “we were at 50% (after the armistice took effect, no), we reached 60%, my directive is to move to…”. And at that moment, the assistance shouted “100%”.
“One at a time. First 70%. Let's start with this,” Netanyahu continued, “we control (Hamas militants, no) from all sides…”.
“We will take care of the rest” later, the Israeli prime minister added.
The claims come as the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip remains the scene of daily violence, with Israeli attacks continuing unabated, while Israel and Hamas accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
Fragile truce
The truce came into force under pressure from the United States on October 10, 2025, two years after the war that was triggered on October 7, 2023 by the unprecedented assault of the Hamas group on Israel.
The first phase of the ceasefire led to the release of the last hostages in the Gaza Strip who had been kidnapped by Hamas militants, in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
But the transition to the second phase, which should result in the disarmament of the Hamas group and a progressive withdrawal of the Israeli army from the enclave, seems completely blocked, at least for several weeks now.
Under the terms of the truce, Israeli forces were to withdraw behind a “yellow line”, the name given to the demarcation line between the area controlled by Hamas and that held by the Israeli army, which gave the latter control over just over 50% of the small coastal territory.
But Netanyahu announced on May 15 that the Israeli military had expanded its control over the Gaza Strip. “Some were telling us to leave, we didn't leave and today we control 60% of the territory. Tomorrow we will see,” he said.
More than two million Palestinians from the enclave are now flocking to the Gaza Strip still under Hamas control, where the humanitarian situation remains “catastrophic”, according to a May 22 alarm sounded at the UN by three prominent international aid NGOs, which accuse Israel of failing to meet its obligations.
