Israel’s Netanyahu directs army to seize 70 percent of Gaza Strip | Israel-Palestine conflict News
Israel Expands Control in Gaza Amid Ongoing Violence
28 May 2026
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israeli army has expanded its control of the Gaza Strip to 60 percent and is directed to increase this to 70 percent. Netanyahu’s remarks were reported by Israeli media, including Channel 12, on Thursday.
“We are fully in control of 60 percent of the territory of the Gaza Strip … and my directive is to get to … 70 percent,” Netanyahu stated during a public address. When an audience member suggested that Israel should take complete control over Gaza, Netanyahu responded, “We are going in order. First 70 percent. We’ll start with that,” without ruling out the possibility of a total takeover.
In a development earlier this year, the Israeli army quietly informed aid organizations that it had already expanded its control by approximately 11 percent beyond the “Yellow Line,” a boundary established in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement from October 2025. This expansion brings Israeli control to about 64 percent of the Palestinian territory, up from the previously reported 53 percent.
The situation remains dire for the approximately two million Palestinians living in Gaza. Due to the ongoing occupation, they are already restricted from accessing nearly two-thirds of the area. Further territorial seizures could confine them to an even smaller region, exacerbating living conditions that have been described as catastrophic.
Despite the nominal ceasefire established last year, military operations continue. An Al Jazeera report indicated at least 2,400 violations of the ceasefire by Israel between October and April. Earlier on Thursday, health authorities reported that an Israeli air raid resulted in the deaths of at least 10 individuals, including four children, and left 20 others injured.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a report stating that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical. Displaced families are living in overcrowded tents or damaged buildings, facing severe shortages of clean water. Increasingly poor waste management poses health risks, while frequent airstrikes and shelling complicate the safety in residential areas.
Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative overseeing the U.S.-initiated Board of Peace for Gaza, warned last week that the deteriorating conditions could become permanent. Speaking before the UN Security Council, he urged the international community to use all available means to pressure Hamas to disarm and to hold Israel accountable to the terms of the ceasefire.
The conflict, which escalated following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, has taken a significant toll, with reports indicating the deaths of more than 72,775 Palestinians. The Israeli military maintains a stringent security regime, and the violence has intensified in recent months, especially following the onset of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran in February.
