Netanyahu Orders IDF to Expand Control in Gaza, Initial Target 70%

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that he has instructed the Israeli military to expand its control in the Gaza Strip, with an initial goal of controlling 70% of the Palestinian territory. The space for local residents has been compressed into a small strip of land along the coast. According to Reuters, after the Islamist organization Hamas attacked southern Israel in 2023, Israel launched a two-year military offensive that left the Gaza Strip in ruins. It is estimated that Israel currently effectively controls 64% of Gaza. Under a ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S. last October, the IDF was supposed to withdraw to a "yellow line," but the agreement failed to end the attacks. Netanyahu said at a meeting in a West Bank settlement that Israel would control more of Gaza's land. The Prime Minister described the areas Israel occupies as "buffer zones," claiming they are necessary to prevent attacks. Meanwhile, Palestinians criticize this as a strategy to permanently displace them.