Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly ordered the occupation of up to 70% of Gaza’s territory.
Speaking at a press conference held in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said he had instructed the Israeli military to take control of additional areas of Gaza.
He said that Israel had previously taken control of 50% of Gaza, later expanded it to 60%, and now his directive is to extend control to 70% of the territory.
Gaza’s population has already been confined to a very small portion of the coastal enclave due to ongoing military operations.
Israel has maintained effective control over approximately 64% of the war-torn territory since the start of its military campaign in October 2023.
Under a US-mediated ceasefire agreement announced in October, Israeli forces were expected to withdraw to a so-called “Yellow Line,” which defined the boundary of Israeli control, although the deal reportedly failed to fully halt hostilities or achieve Hamas’s disarmament.
