Netanyahu says Israel controls 60% of Gaza, exceeding ceasefire boundaries

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel now controls around 60% of the Gaza Strip, exceeding the territory outlined under the ceasefire agreement reached last year, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported Friday.

“Today we control 60% of the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu reportedly said during an event marking the anniversary of the occupation of East Jerusalem.

The newspaper said the figure exceeds the area envisioned under the US-mediated ceasefire agreement that entered into force in October 2025, under which Israeli-controlled territory was estimated at around 53% of the enclave.

According to Palestinian officials and rights groups, Israeli forces have gradually expanded beyond the original demarcation line established under the agreement into additional areas deeper inside Gaza, referred to in recent reports as the “orange line.”

In January, Haaretz published a field report documenting what it described as the westward movement of the “yellow line,” referring to the demarcation between areas controlled by the Israeli army and zones where Palestinians were permitted to remain.

The newspaper said the expansion had continued in recent months, further reducing what it described as the already limited living space available to Palestinians in Gaza.

Local sources also told Anadolu that Israeli military bulldozers on May 10 moved yellow-painted concrete blocks westward along Salah al-Din Street in the Netzarim corridor area in central Gaza.

Haaretz quoted Lori Bouvier, a geographic information systems specialist with Doctors Without Borders, as saying Israeli-controlled territory had expanded from around 53% in October to approximately 57-58% currently, according to the organization’s assessment.

Bouvier said that when including areas referred to as the “orange line” -- where humanitarian organizations must coordinate movements with the Israeli military -- Israel effectively controls more than 60% of the Gaza Strip.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, also previously told Anadolu that Israel had shifted the “yellow line” westward by an additional 8-9%, raising the total area under Israeli control to more than 60% of the enclave.

The Israeli military has not commented on the reported expansion within Gaza territory.

US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire initiative on Sept. 29, 2025, outlining a phased plan that included a ceasefire, a partial Israeli withdrawal, the release of Israeli captives and the entry of 600 aid trucks per day into Gaza.

While Hamas said it adhered to the first phase of the agreement, Palestinian officials and rights groups have accused Israel of violating parts of the deal by continuing military operations and expanding its territorial control in Gaza.

The second phase of the agreement envisions a broader Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and reconstruction efforts in exchange for beginning the disarmament of Palestinian factions.

Israel has insisted that disarmament must come first.

*Writing by Sahin Demir in Istanbul​​​​​​​