The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced renewed strain after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the Israeli military to increase control over Gaza to 70%.
Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Netanyahu stated that the Israeli military currently controls around 60% of the Gaza Strip and intends to expand that control further.
“We are currently squeezing Hamas,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would continue increasing pressure on the group “from all sides”.
Expansion would contradict Gaza ceasefire terms
The proposed expansion in territorial control appears to contradict conditions outlined in the US-backed ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 under mediation efforts linked to Donald Trump.
Under the agreement, Israeli forces had withdrawn to a designated demarcation zone referred to as the “yellow line”.
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by the United States, have since stalled over key issues including disarmament and troop withdrawals.
Continued strikes reported in Gaza
Despite the ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli military operations and air strikes have continued across the territory.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 738 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October. The United Nations has previously stated that it considers the ministry’s casualty data broadly reliable.
Local hospitals in Gaza reported that at least 10 people, including five children, were killed in an Israeli strike on a building in Gaza City late on Wednesday.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted “two central Hamas terrorists” in northern Gaza but did not disclose identities.
Hamas commanders reportedly targeted
Reports indicated that Hamas battalion commander Imad Asleem was killed in the Gaza City strike alongside his teenage daughter.
Separately, the newly selected head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Odeh, was reportedly killed in another Israeli strike along with members of his family.
The Israeli military also said a separate strike in Khan Younis killed Ihab Khrizim, identified as the head of a Hamas financial transfer network, and Mohammed al-Habash, described as a Hamas production unit commander linked to weapons manufacturing.
Israeli ministers defend Gaza relocation proposals
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said this week that Israel remained committed to eliminating those responsible for the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack.
He also referred to what he described as a “plan for voluntary emigration from Gaza”.
Far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have previously publicly supported proposals encouraging Palestinians to leave Gaza and replacing areas with Jewish settlements.
Critics and international legal experts have warned that forced civilian displacement could constitute a war crime under international law.
Gaza war casualties continue to rise
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s military response has devastated large parts of Gaza and displaced significant portions of the population.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, cited by the UN as generally reliable, 72,742 Palestinians had been killed and 172,565 injured in Gaza as of 12 May 2026. The reported death toll includes more than 21,000 children.
The future of the ceasefire in Gaza remains uncertain as diplomatic efforts continue amid ongoing violence and stalled negotiations.
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