Netanyahu Orders Israeli Forces to Seize 70% of Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the Israeli military to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, The Guardian reported Thursday. The move threatens the already-fragile October ceasefire and deepens a humanitarian catastrophe. The announcement came as Israeli forces simultaneously escalated operations in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu’s Announcement Raises Alarm

Speaking at a conference held in an occupied West Bank settlement, Netanyahu framed the directive in terms of military pressure on Hamas. He said Israel had progressed from controlling 50% of the territory to 60%, and his order now targets 70%. The Israeli prime minister is navigating a difficult domestic political environment ahead of elections expected within months. Analysts say the timing reflects, in part, a need to project strength to his base.

Also Read: What Is the Gaza Ceasefire Deal and What Are Its Key Terms?

Background: The October Ceasefire and Its Terms

The US-brokered ceasefire reached in October established a demarcation line, often called the yellow line, dividing Gaza into Israeli- and Hamas-administered zones. Under that agreement, Israeli forces held roughly 53% of the territory. Israeli-backed armed militias have in recent days been pressuring civilians near that line to vacate homes and shelters. Despite the formal truce, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed since October in Israeli strikes and fire along the yellow line.

The expanded military footprint would directly contradict the ceasefire framework, the UN Security Council resolution endorsing it, and the Trump administration’s 20-point Gaza plan. That plan explicitly stated no Palestinian would be compelled to leave, and that those choosing to stay would have opportunities to rebuild.

Also Read: UN Security Council Resolution on Gaza Ceasefire

Humanitarian Stakes Are Severe

Experts say the consequences of compressing 2.2 million people into less than a third of already overcrowded territory would be catastrophic. Muhammad Shehada, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told The Guardian that Netanyahu’s directive effectively renders the entire Trump peace framework void. Shehada described the remaining territory as the most overcrowded place on earth, warning the expansion would be a death sentence for many who have nowhere to go.

Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, separately confirmed this week that the government’s ultimate objective is large-scale Palestinian departure from Gaza. Human rights organisations characterise that goal as a systematic effort toward ethnic cleansing by making conditions in the territory unliveable.

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