Netanyahu Orders Army to Seize 70% of Gaza, Threatening Ceasefire

The order marks a significant expansion of Israeli control over the territory. Israel already controls about 64% of Gaza, according to reports [167530]. The new plan would seize additional land, reducing Palestinian living space to less than one-third of the coastal strip [160796]. Since the ceasefire took effect in October, Israeli strikes have killed more than 900 people and wounded thousands, despite the truce [161480][162937].

Netanyahu announced the directive while speaking in a West Bank settlement, saying the goal is to "squeeze Hamas" [159974]. The announcement comes as the prime minister fights for his political survival ahead of elections. Under the US-brokered ceasefire signed in October, Israeli forces withdrew to a demarcation line that gave Israel direct control of 53% of Gaza. Since then, the army has gradually pushed westward into areas held by Hamas, expanding a no-man's land where Israel claims the right to open fire on anyone it sees as a threat [159974].

The expansion follows what Israel calls the "yellow line" – a border set by former US President Donald Trump's plan to divide the territory. Israeli troops move concrete blocks painted yellow at night to mark this moving frontier, forcing Palestinians to relocate again [167530]. The military often uses violence, shooting at tents, schools, and homes. Recently, a girl named Ritaj Abdel Raouf Rihan was killed while attending class in a refugee camp near the yellow line [167530].

The area Israel occupies includes most farmland, water reserves, desalination plants, and waste treatment facilities. Palestinians are left with desert and unproductive land [167530]. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the government plans to make "a large number of Palestinians leave Gaza at the right time and in the right way" [167530].

In Lebanon, Israel has also escalated attacks. On Tuesday, Israeli strikes killed 31 people, and the military ordered the entire city of Tyre to evacuate [159171]. Israel has destroyed 81 villages in southern Lebanon and forced more than one million people from their homes [167530].

Analysts say Netanyahu may be trying to gain ground while he can, or to destabilize Trump's Iran peace initiative [160796][162253]. Trump has said he is making a final decision on a "deal of sorts" with Tehran and claimed Netanyahu "will do whatever I want him to do" [160796][162253]. But the expanding military operations suggest otherwise.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report saying Israel is creating "conditions of life increasingly incompatible with the continued existence of Palestinians in Gaza as a group" [167530]. Critics say the so-called ceasefire was never real, and the US plan always made its goals clear [167530].