Netanyahu directs military to extend control over 70% of Gaza Strip
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he has issued a directive to increase the Israeli military's control over the Gaza Strip from 60 percent to 70 percent of the territory, reported Xinhua.
Speaking at a conference in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, Netanyahu said that Israel was in control of 50 percent of the territory of the Gaza Strip, and moved to 60 percent.
Netanyahu then asked what the next target is. Some of the attendees chanted "100 percent," and Netanyahu said, "Go in order, first 70 percent, we'll start with that. We're grasping Hamas tightly from all sides, and we'll then deal with the remains."
Netanyahu added that Israel is in a process where it can leverage its power in many directions, and still has to crush Hezbollah.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said in a statement that it killed the head of a central Hamas funds transfer network, Ihab Khrizim, in a strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
5/28/2026 3:20:15 PM