Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (May 28, 2026) that he had ordered the country’s military to take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, in defiance of the terms of a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.

“We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory in the strip. You know, we were at 50, we moved to 60. My directive is to move to… 70%,” he said at a conference in an occupied West Bank settlement, according to a video aired by Israel’s Channel 12 network.