Netanyahu: IDF Controls 60% of Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Sunday that Israel has expanded the territory it controls in the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire, saying the IDF now holds around 60% of the enclave.

At the start of the US-brokered truce in October, Israel controlled roughly 53% of Gaza, while Hamas controlled the remaining 47%, where most of the Strip’s population lives. The IDF established the “Yellow Line” marking the area held by Israeli forces, and has regularly fired at people approaching the line when it assesses they pose a threat.

“In Gaza now, we already control not 50%, but 60%,” Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

His comments confirmed reports that Israel has pushed beyond the original ceasefire lines. Maps quietly distributed by Israel in March showed a new restricted zone beyond the Yellow Line, marked by an orange line. The additional area is estimated to include about 11% of Gaza’s territory, bringing the total area under Israeli military restriction to nearly two-thirds of the Strip.

The IDF told aid organizations in March that the area between the orange and yellow lines was a restricted zone meant to allow humanitarian aid delivery, and that aid groups must coordinate movement with the military. The army said civilians were not affected by the change.

The expanded zone has raised concerns among displaced residents living near the area that they could be considered targets. It has also fueled concern that Israel may intend to maintain long-term control over the territory.

“We are tightening our grip on Hamas,” Netanyahu said.

He said Israel’s mission remained to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. He did not repeat his earlier pledge that Hamas would be destroyed as both a military and governing organization.

Netanyahu also referred to Friday’s killing of Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad, saying Israel was close to completing its mission of eliminating those responsible for the October 7 massacre and hostage abductions.

Haddad helped plan the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. He became Hamas’s leader in Gaza after Mohammed Sinwar was killed in May 2025.

Meanwhile, Hamas-linked health officials said Israeli strikes killed at least eight people in Gaza on Sunday. The IDF said some of the strikes targeted operatives posing immediate threats, including a Hamas commander developing anti-tank missiles.

The IDF also said it killed Bahaa Baroud, a Hamas operations division commander accused of advancing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.

According to Hamas health ministry figures, which do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, around 870 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza during the same period.