Current Control and New Directive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that he has directed the Israel Defense Forces to expand control over Gaza to 70 percent of the territory. Speaking at a conference, Netanyahu stated: "We are currently squeezing Hamas; we now control 60% of the territory of the Strip. My directive is to move to 70." Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 percent of the coastal strip, according to military maps issued in March, up from the 53 percent agreed under the ceasefire.
The sources also report that Netanyahu paused after a crowd member shouted "100" before specifying his directive to first reach 70 percent control.
The expansion represents a unilateral shift in territorial control. Reuters reported that Israel has moved the concrete blocks marking the demarcation line, known as the "Yellow Line," deeper into Hamas-controlled territory since the October ceasefire took effect.
Violation of Ceasefire Terms
Netanyahu's directive directly contradicts the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire that Israel and Hamas agreed to in October 2025. Under that agreement, Israeli troops were meant to withdraw to the Yellow Line, which demarcated control at 53 percent of Gaza. The next steps in the 20-point peace proposal would see Hamas disarm and Israeli troops withdraw entirely, but indirect talks between the two sides have stalled.
Israel continues strikes on Gaza despite the ceasefire. At least 738 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable. A strike on a building in Gaza City late on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including five children, according to local hospitals. The Israeli military said it struck "two central Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip," though the target appeared to be Hamas battalion commander Imad Asleem, who was killed alongside his teenage daughter Israa.
A strike on a building in Gaza City on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including five children, according to local hospitals.→A strike on a building in Gaza City late on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including five children, according to local hospitals.
The BBC article specifies that the strike occurred late on Wednesday.
Broader Military Campaign and Casualties
Netanyahu's expansion order occurs within the context of a two-year military campaign that has reduced much of Gaza to ruins and displaced many of its 2.1 million residents. As of May 12, 2026, the Hamas-run health ministry reported 72,742 Palestinians killed in Gaza and 172,565 injured, with at least 21,283 of the dead being children.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that his country had "pledged to eliminate everyone who led the October 7 massacre" in 2023 and that "Hamas will not rule Gaza civilly or militarily." Katz also said that what he called the "plan for voluntary emigration from Gaza" would be implemented "at the proper time and in the proper manner." Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have previously defended what they describe as "voluntary migration" of Palestinians from Gaza, which could amount to forced displacement.
The 2023 Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages taken, triggering Israel's military response that has left much of Gaza in ruins and displaced many of its 2.1 million residents.
The South China Morning Post article states that Israel 'effectively controls' 64 percent. This is a more nuanced claim than simply 'controls'.