Israeli forces currently control 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reports.
The agency notes that this is the first official confirmation of the expansion of the area controlled by Israel in the coastal Palestinian territory, devastated by the two-year war between Israel and the radical Palestinian group "Hamas".
"Over the past two years, we have shown the whole world the strength that our people, our state, our army, our historical heritage possess," Netanyahu said yesterday on the occasion of Jerusalem Day, as his statement was released by his office for the media today.
"We have returned home all our hostages, down to the last one. (...) We have not given up an inch of land. Some were telling us to withdraw, but we did not withdraw and today we control 60% of the territory (of the Gaza Strip - editor's note). We will see from now on," he added.
These statements come at a time when Gaza remains the scene of daily clashes. Israeli strikes there continue without interruption, with Israel and the Islamist movement "Hamas" accusing each other of violating the ceasefire, AFP points out.
The ceasefire came into effect on October 10 last year, two years after the start of the war, which began on October 7, 2023 with the unprecedented attack by "Hamas" against Israel.
The first phase of the ceasefire included the release of the last hostages in Gaza, kidnapped by "Hamas", in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The transition to the second phase, which was supposed to lead to the disarmament of "Hamas" and the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army to the "yellow line", however, appears to have been completely stalled for weeks.
This line divides the enclave into a zone under "Hamas" control and territory controlled by the Israeli army.
The terms of the ceasefire gave Israel control of just over 50% of the coastal Palestinian territory, which is among the most densely populated in the world.
According to media reports in recent weeks, Israeli forces are expanding this zone to a new line called the "orange" and are ready to resume fighting if "Hamas" refuses to lay down their arms.
According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, more than 850 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire agreement was signed. The Israeli army reported the deaths of five of its soldiers in Gaza during the same period.