Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had instructed the occupation military to expand its control over the Gaza Strip to 70 per cent of the territory, despite the terms of the ceasefire announced in October.
Speaking at a conference held in an Israeli settlement in the occupied Jordan Valley of the West Bank, Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces are continuing to increase their territorial control inside Gaza.
“We are currently surrounding Hamas. We now control 60 per cent of the territory of the Gaza Strip. As you know, we were at 50 per cent, then moved to 60 per cent. My directive is to move to 70 per cent,” he said, according to a video broadcast by Israeli Channel 12.
Netanyahu added that Israeli forces were tightening their encirclement of Hamas from all directions.
“We are surrounding them from every side. We will take care of the rest later,” he said.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces were expected to withdraw to what is known as the “Yellow Line” inside Gaza while maintaining control over more than 50 per cent of the territory. The line effectively divides the Gaza Strip into two sections, one under Israeli military control and the other under the administration of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
However, Netanyahu announced on 15 May that the occupation military had expanded its control across Gaza.
“Some people demanded that we withdraw, but we did not withdraw. Today we control 60 per cent of the land. Tomorrow, we shall see,” he said at the time.
