Visiting Gaza, Netanyahu says Israel not leaving area it holds, doing ‘everything’ to disarm Hamas

On a visit to an IDF post in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that Israel will not withdraw from the territory it holds in the Strip as it seeks to disarm Hamas.

“We control the territory here,” Netanyahu says during the visit near Gaza’s Yellow Line, in a Hebrew-language video message sent by his office. He notes that the Israeli border towns of Ashkelon, Sderot, Netivot, and several kibbutzim can be seen “in every direction” from the post.

“We are not withdrawing. We are staying on this line. We control 60% of the Strip. And there is still more to come, because we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us — we do this day in and day out,” he says, pointing to Israel’s strike targeting a senior Hamas commander on Monday.

Netanyahu has previously stated that Israel controls 60% of the Gaza Strip and had ordered the army to expand control to 70%, well beyond the portion of the enclave that Israel was allowed to continue holding as part of an October 2025 ceasefire deal with Hamas.

The conditions for Israeli withdrawal, and continued Israeli strikes, have become major sticking points in the US-backed Board of Peace’s talks with Hamas and Israel. While the terror group has agreed to a framework for gradual disarmament alongside phased Israeli withdrawals, Netanyahu has insisted on troops remaining in place until total disarmament is verified.

“But we are doing everything necessary to achieve our objective — disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza, [and ensuring] Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu continues, adding, “to a large extent, this objective has in fact already been achieved. There is still work to be completed — and we will complete it.”

Accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Southern Command chief Yaniv Asor, and commander of the 99th Division Elad Tzuri, Netanyahu was briefed by commanders on the ground regarding IDF operations in the area “and the effort to eliminate threats and safeguard the security of the troops and Israeli communities,” the PMO says.

Netanyahu’s chief of staff Ido Norden, National Security Council head Shmuel Ben Ezra, and his military secretary Guy Markizeno also join the visit.

In addition, Netanyahu held a security assessment with senior officials at the Gaza Division headquarters, the PMO says.