Netanyahu Orders IDF to Seize 70% of Gaza, Up From 60%
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he has directed the IDF to expand territorial control to 70% of Gaza, up from 60% currently. The move would confine approximately 2 million Palestinians to a shrinking fraction of the enclave and may violate the October 2025 ceasefire agreement.
The announcement
Speaking at a conference in the occupied West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to take control of 70% of Gaza's territory. "We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50%. We moved to 60%," he said. "My directive is to move to — take it step by step — first of all 70."
Crowd response
During the interview, audience members called for Netanyahu to order a full takeover of Gaza. Netanyahu did not publicly endorse this position but framed the 70% directive as a first step.
Ceasefire implications
Under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces were to remain behind a demarcation line known as the "yellow line" — leaving them in roughly 53% of Gaza. Hamas accused Israel on Tuesday of moving that line unilaterally, calling it "an explicit and ongoing undermining of the ceasefire agreement."
Humanitarian impact
An IDF takeover of 70% of Gaza's territory would compress approximately 2 million Palestinians into the remaining 30%. International aid groups have already warned of severe humanitarian constraints in the current configuration.
International reaction
The UN and several European governments issued statements calling for restraint. The US State Department said it was "monitoring the situation closely."
Timeline
Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement leaves IDF at ~53% of Gaza along the "yellow line."
Hamas accuses Israel of moving the ceasefire demarcation line unilaterally.
Netanyahu publicly orders IDF expansion to 70% of Gaza; audience calls for total takeover.