Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Amid simmering tensions in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to gain military control over 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip in another major escalation in the war that has already displaced nearly all of Gaza’s population.
Speaking at a conference in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israeli forces were steadily increasing their hold over the Palestinian enclave and would continue expanding operations against Hamas.
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“We are now in 60 per cent of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50 per cent, we moved to 60 per cent,” Netanyahu said. “My directive is to move to — take it step by step — first of all 70. Let’s start with that.”
As he spoke, members of the audience shouted calls for Israel to seize all of Gaza.
GAZA TERRITORY UNDER SHRINKING CONTROL
Maps shared by the Israeli military with international aid agencies in late April already showed Israeli forces controlling around 64 per cent of Gaza. If Israel expands that control further, nearly two million Palestinians could be forced into an even smaller area of the devastated coastal territory.
Large parts of Gaza have already been destroyed after months of fighting, repeated air strikes and ground offensives.
Under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli troops had withdrawn to a military boundary known as the “yellow line”, which covered roughly 53 per cent of Gaza.
But Hamas accused Israel earlier this week of quietly moving that line deeper into the enclave.
The Palestinian group said the move represented “an explicit and ongoing undermining of the ceasefire agreement” and accused Israel of trying to impose “new facts on the ground by force”.
Hamas also warned that expanding military control would damage any remaining hopes for de-escalation. The Israeli government has argued that military pressure is necessary to weaken Hamas and prevent future attacks.
NEW PRESSURE ON SOUTHERN LEBANON
Meanwhile, Israel has also expanded military operations in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah. On Wednesday, the Israeli military declared a large new section of southern Lebanon a “combat zone” and ordered residents to evacuate north of the Zahrani River.
The warning covered a large stretch of territory roughly 40 kilometres north of the Israeli border.
Israeli military officials said troops would act “with great force” against Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure inside the area.
The evacuation order followed more than 120 Israeli strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon a day earlier, despite a ceasefire announced in April.
Residents began fleeing toward the coastal city of Sidon, according to Lebanese security sources cited by news agency Reuters. The latest displacement happened during Eid al-Adha celebrations across Lebanon.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
