Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had instructed the army to establish control over 70% of the Gaza Strip, CNN reported.
According to Netanyahu, Israel is gradually strengthening its control over the enclave. The army now occupies 60% of the Gaza Strip.
“My order is to move forward step by step, initially to 70%“, he stressed.
As the channel notes, in late April the Israel Defense Forces distributed maps to international humanitarian organizations showing Israeli military control over approximately 64% of Gaza territory.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, reached with US mediation in October 2025, provided for the withdrawal of Israeli troops to the demarcation line, after which Israel would retain control over approximately 53% of the strip.
On Tuesday, Hamas accused Israel of changing the demarcation line and violating the ceasefire. The movement claims that Israel's actions are aimed at consolidating military control over the Gaza Strip.
CNN notes that the implementation of the ceasefire agreement is effectively at a standstill. Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov, who is monitoring the implementation of the agreement, previously warned that the temporary demarcation line could become a “fence or wall“ and lead to the permanent division of Gaza.
After the ceasefire, Israel continued to strike the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of rebuilding its armed forces and violating the terms of the agreement.
In early May, Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting. The agenda included discussing the resumption of military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The main reason for the emergency cabinet meeting was the failure of negotiations on the disarmament of Hamas under the plan of the US-led Peace Council. Israel considered Hamas a violator of the disarmament agreement.
The Peace Council mediators offered Hamas a “road map”, according to which the movement was to hand over its heavy weapons and tunnel maps within 90 days and completely disarm within eight months. However, the movement rejected the demand.