Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Thursday that he had directed the Israeli military to expand its control of the Gaza Strip to 70 percent of the Palestinian enclave, ratcheting up the pressure on Hamas, the militant group that rules the rest.
His announcement came as negotiations on Gaza’s future have stalled over Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s nearly daily strikes in Gaza, both in apparent defiance of the cease-fire agreement struck in October, after two years of war.
At the time, as provided by the cease-fire, the Israeli military pulled back to an area encompassing roughly 53 percent of the ravaged enclave. But it has gradually taken more territory in Gaza, sometimes simply by moving concrete blocks with which it marks the boundary. Earlier this month, Mr. Netanyahu disclosed that Israel had increased its control to 60 percent of the territory.
Hamas retains de facto control of the shrinking western stretch of Gaza, where the vast majority of its roughly two million Palestinians are living, including many who have fled or been pushed out of the portion under Israeli control. Many Gazans displaced throughout the two-year war were warned not to approach the Israeli side.
Israel’s military continues to conduct strikes and seize territory despite a cease-fire with Hamas. Many of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s supporters see the war as unfinished business.
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