Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has given orders to the Israeli army to seize 70% of the Gaza Strip, a move that risks torpedoing the already fragile ceasefire and creating catastrophic humanitarian conditions. The Israeli prime minister, speaking at a conference in an occupied West Bank settlement, stated: 'We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory in the strip. My directive is to move to 70%.'
Under the US-brokered ceasefire in October, the Israeli army withdrew to a demarcation line giving Israel direct control of 53% of the occupied territory. Since then, Israeli forces have steadily advanced westward into the Hamas-controlled half, declaring an ever-expanded no man's land. Israeli-backed armed militias have taken a leading role in emptying areas along the ceasefire line, telling residents to vacate their homes.
Throughout the ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued to open fire on Palestinians near the 'yellow line' and carry out airstrikes deeper inside western Gaza, killing more than 900 Palestinians. The expansion to 70% would be a direct violation of the October ceasefire, the UN security council resolution, and Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, which laid out a temporary yellow line pending further negotiations.
Defence minister Israel Katz said the government's ultimate aim was for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza by 'voluntary migration', which human rights activists describe as a long-term plan for ethnic cleansing. Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said: 'Netanyahu is now declaring the whole Trump deal, the framework for Gaza, to be null and void.'
Israeli forces have systematically destroyed remaining buildings in their zone, and expansion would cram 2.2 million Palestinians into less than a third of their original territory. 'Every square metre has another displaced family, it would be a death sentence,' Shehada added. An Israeli army spokesperson referred questions on the 70% threat to the political echelon.
