Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has given orders to the Israeli army to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, a move that threatens to torpedo an already fragile ceasefire and create catastrophic humanitarian conditions. Speaking at a conference in an occupied West Bank settlement, the Israeli prime minister, who is fighting for political survival before elections, said: '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 territory. Since then, Israeli forces have steadily advanced westward into the Hamas-controlled half and declared an expanded no man's land. Israeli-backed armed militias have taken a leading role in emptying territory along the ceasefire line, telling residents to vacate their homes.
Throughout the eight-month ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued to open fire on Palestinians within range of the 'yellow line' and carry out airstrikes deeper inside western Gaza, killing more than 900 Palestinians since the truce began. The expansion of Israeli military control would directly violate the October ceasefire, the UN Security Council resolution endorsing it, and Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan.
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. Expanding control to 70% would cram 2.2 million Palestinians into less than a third of their original territory. 'It would be a death sentence for a lot of people who physically have no place to go,' Shehada said. An Israeli army spokesperson referred a request for comment to the political echelon.
