Netanyahu orders Gaza control to 70%

What's happened

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Israeli military to expand control of the Gaza Strip to 70 percent, saying Israel already controls about 60 percent. Mediators are preparing renewed disarmament talks in Egypt while UN and aid agencies warn that further seizures will worsen Gaza's dire humanitarian crisis.

What's behind the headline?

What's driving Israel's push

• Netanyahu is publicly instructing the military to expand control from about 60% to 70% of Gaza. His remarks are being delivered in the run-up to Israeli domestic politics and follow months of incremental movement of the so-called "Yellow Line." This is political pressure translating into tactical advances on the ground.

The operational picture

• Israeli forces have been physically moving concrete markers and issuing maps that enlarge restricted zones; independent reporting says the area under effective Israeli control has ranged near 64%.
• Militias backed by Israel are operating inside parts of Gaza and are introducing heavier platforms, which will complicate any return to the ceasefire's original footprint.

Humanitarian consequences

• Shrinking the territory available to more than two million Palestinians will force denser crowding and will cut access to service points. UN agencies and UNICEF are reporting acute disease, sanitation collapse and rising child morbidity tied to overcrowding; taking more land will increase those risks.

Diplomatic dynamics and leverage

• The U.S.-led Board of Peace is conditioning reconstruction and international investment on Hamas demilitarization. U.S. lawmakers and officials are emphasising that money and an international stabilisation force will not flow while Hamas retains weapons.
• Mediators are returning to Cairo to restart disarmament talks, but Hamas has repeatedly refused to lay down arms while Israeli operations continue and humanitarian terms are unmet. Expect continued deadlock: Israel will press territorial gains while Western and Arab mediators will push for talks that require concessions neither side is currently prepared to make.

Forecast

• Israel will continue expanding control incrementally rather than attempting an immediate full takeover; this will keep pressure on Gaza's civilian population and on mediators to find a political compromise.
• International criticism will increase and will focus on humanitarian access and legality of the moving demarcation, but concrete leverage to reverse the territorial changes is limited unless major backers change policy.

What to watch next

• Outcomes of the Cairo disarmament talks and any formal change in the Board of Peace's rules of engagement.
• New maps or on-the-ground marker movements indicating further westward shifts.
• Reports from UN agencies on child health and access to services for signs of rapid deterioration.

How we got here

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025 had drawn an Israeli "Yellow Line" that left roughly 53% of Gaza under Israeli control and Hamas governing the remainder. Israel has been moving the demarcation and increasing its footprint since, and negotiations to disarm Hamas and move to a reconstruction phase have stalled.

Our analysis

The coverage is broadly consistent on the central facts but emphasises different elements. The Times of Israel quotes Netanyahu saying "At this point, we are fully in control of 60% of the territory... and my directive is to get to... 70%" (The Times of Israel, 28 May). Reuters and Al Jazeera both report that Israeli maps and moved concrete blocks have expanded the de facto restricted zone to roughly 64% of Gaza, noting that the original U.S.-brokered "Yellow Line" had been set at about 53% (Reuters, 28 May; Al Jazeera, 28–29 May). The New York Times highlights Netanyahu's public boast and audience calls for even larger seizures, reporting the same 60% figure and his remark "First of all, 70. Let's start with that" (New York Times, 28 May). Humanitarian reporting is strongest in The Times of Israel and Al Jazeera: UNICEF is cited describing children suffering from respiratory infections, acute watery diarrhea and skin diseases as Gaza's living space is compressed (The Times of Israel, 30 May). Reuters and the U.N. Human Rights Office provide a different angle by documenting verified killings near the yellow line and warning that moving the boundary is creating a pattern that "raises serious concerns" of unlawful killings (Reuters, 27 May; Emma Farge reporting). On diplomacy, The Times of Israel and The New Arab explain that the U.S.-led Board of Peace and mediators are conditioning reconstruction and investment on Hamas disarmament, while negotiators are returning to Cairo to try alternatives to the Trump administration's 20-point plan (The Times of Israel, 3 Jun; The New Arab, 25 May). The result across outlets is a clear throughline: Israel is expanding control on the ground; aid agencies are warning of worsening humanitarian conditions; and mediators are failing to secure the disarmament that would unlock reconstruction and international stabilisation aid.

Go deeper

• What will the Cairo disarmament talks produce and when will we know?
• How will aid agencies respond if Israel moves the boundary further west?
• Which countries are pressuring Israel or Hamas most strongly on this issue?

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