Israel Now Controls 64% of Gaza, Plans to Take 70% as Prices Soar and Hunger Protests Erupt
Israel has expanded its military control to 64% of the Gaza Strip, pushing over two million people into just 36% of the territory, while the cost of basic goods has skyrocketed due to trade restrictions and war profiteering, sparking rare public protests against the blockade.
The Israeli army now occupies 64% of Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing plans to expand control to 70%, according to a UN report [167530]. The military has taken 10% more Palestinian land since October, moving concrete blocks painted yellow at night to mark an advancing frontier and forcing thousands to flee [167530]. A seven-month-old baby was killed in Hebron in the occupied West Bank when Israeli soldiers opened fire on the family's car, the Palestinian Authority confirmed [167531].
Meanwhile, a combination of Israeli trade restrictions and black-market profiteering has driven up the cost of nearly every essential item in Gaza [168198]. Food, medicine, and basic goods have become unaffordable for many families, with a bag of rice now costing several times its pre-war price [168198]. Local shopkeepers report that families are skipping meals and forgoing medical treatment [168198].
Displaced Palestinians have staged protests demanding the immediate reopening of border crossings and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid, condemning the Israeli blockade as the root cause of a deepening hunger crisis [156964]. Demonstrators living in temporary shelters chanted for the international community to pressure Israel to allow full access for relief convoys [156964].
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that Israel is creating "conditions of life increasingly incompatible with the continued existence of Palestinians in Gaza as a group" [167530]. The area Israel occupies includes most farmland, water reserves, desalination plants, and waste treatment facilities, leaving Palestinians with desert and unproductive land [167530]. More than 960 Gazans have been killed since the ceasefire began on October 10, 2025, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, with the total death toll since October 2023 exceeding 72,900 [167531].