Netanyahu says he directed Israel’s military to seize 70% of Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has directed the Israeli military to take control of 70% of Gaza’s territory, up from the 60% he said Israeli forces currently hold.

“We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50%, we moved to 60%,” Netanyahu said at a conference in the occupied West Bank. “My directive is to move to – take it step by step – first of all 70. Let’s start with that.” Audience members called on Netanyahu to take over all of Gaza’s territory.

The expansion would squeeze approximately 2 million Palestinians into a shrinking portion of the coastal enclave. IDF maps issued to international aid groups in late April already showed the military controlling roughly 64% of Gaza. Under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces had withdrawn to a demarcation line encompassing about 53% of the territory. Hamas said Tuesday that Israel has since moved that line, calling it “an explicit and ongoing undermining of the ceasefire agreement” and “a serious violation of its provisions.”

This is a developing story.