Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to expand its control of Gaza to 70 per cent of the Palestinian territory.
“We were at 50 [per cent], we moved to 60. My directive is to move to … let's go step by step,” Mr Netanyahu said at a public event in the occupied West Bank on Thursday. “First of all, 70. Let's start with that. We're pressing them [Hamas] from all sides. We'll deal with the remnants.”
The Israeli military was left in control of slightly more than 50 per cent of the Gaza Strip under a US-brokered truce in October that halted two years of war triggered by Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, it has been slowly advancing beyond the ceasefire boundary – its so-called yellow line – and into Hamas-run territory.
Israel now controls at least 64 per cent of the strip, according to maps the military shared with aid groups in March, with Gaza's 2.2 million people squeezed into the remaining area.
A map the military provided to charities in April showed an 'orange line' marking its new position after advancing beyond the yellow line, effectively cordoning off nearly two-thirds of Gaza's territory.
Palestinians view Israel's military advance, along with continuing attacks and restrictions on the entry of food, medicine and other essentials, as part of a strategy to force them out of the territory.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier this week that the Israeli government wants to encourage “voluntary migration” from Gaza.
“We committed that Hamas will not rule Gaza civilly or militarily, and so it shall be, and also the voluntary emigration plan from Gaza will be implemented – everything at the right timing and in the right manner,” Mr Katz wrote in a message congratulating the military on a strike against a Hamas commander in Gaza.
Israel has carried out nearly daily strikes in Gaza despite the ceasefire, killing more than 900 people and raising the Palestinian death toll from the war to nearly 73,000.
The ceasefire was the first stage of US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, under which the Israeli military was supposed to withdraw to Gaza's borders, followed by the entry of a multinational security force and the establishment of a Palestinian technocratic committee to take over the day-to-day running of the territory.
However, further progress in the plan, which includes rebuilding homes and infrastructure destroyed by Israel, has been held up by a stalemate over disarming Hamas.
Israel stepped up its attacks on Gaza during Eid Al Adha this week, saying it was targeting Hamas leaders involved in the October 7 attack. According to local authorities, civilians, including children, were killed.
Germany expressed concern about Israel's plans to take more of the territory. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany opposes a permanent division of the Palestinian territory. France made similar statements.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Israel has breached international law by expanding its military operations in southern Lebanon and seizing Gaza.
"It is contrary to international law to declare southern Lebanon a combat zone or to declare that 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip will be retaken," Mr Barrot told the France Inter radio channel.
