Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had instructed the Israeli military to take control of 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip, signalling a major escalation despite the fragile ceasefire that came into effect in October.
Speaking at a conference in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said Israel was steadily increasing its territorial control inside Gaza as part of ongoing operations against Hamas.
“We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60 per cent of the territory in the strip. You know, we were at 50, we moved to 60. My directive is to move to… 70 percent," Netanyahu said, according to video footage aired by Israel’s Channel 12.
His remarks come days after Netanyahu publicly acknowledged that Israeli forces already control around 60 per cent of Gaza, highlighting the scale of Israel’s military presence in the enclave despite ongoing ceasefire arrangements.
Netanyahu calls off Lebanon raidUS President Donald Trump said he persuaded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call off the strike on Beirut, following which the Israeli leader "turned his troops around". Trump made the announcement on Truth Social this week amid reports that the conversation between the two leaders was "heated" and the US president telling Netanyahu that he would have been in prison but for his intervention. Trump's phone calls with Netanyahu came after Iran threatened to end the negotiations with the US over Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Netanyahu had said Israel would hit "terror targets" in Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel. |
