Step by step: Netanyahu orders Israeli military to take control of 70% of Gaza

29-May-2026

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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 May 28, Netanyahu said Israeli forces were steadily increasing their hold over the Palestinian enclave and would continue expanding operations against Hamas.

"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."