Netanyahu says he told IDF to seize 70% of Gaza, well beyond terms of truce

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he ordered the Israel Defense Forces to take control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip – well beyond the portion of the enclave that Jerusalem was allowed to temporarily continue occupying as part of an October 2025 ceasefire deal with Hamas.

“At this point, we are fully in control of 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip… and my directive is to get to… 70%,” Netanyahu said, in Hebrew-language remarks delivered at a conference held by the Ein Prat Leadership Academy.

When one audience member shouted out that Israel should take “100 percent” of the territory in Gaza, Netanyahu responded, “First 70%. We’ll start with that.”

Netanyahu acknowledged last week that Israel already holds 60 percent of the territory in the Strip, significantly more than the roughly 53% allotted to Israel in the October ceasefire deal.

That truce, which secured the release of hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza, left Hamas in de facto control of the remainder of the Strip.

The deal was envisioned as part of a larger process that would see the terror group disarmed and the enclave demilitarized, but progress toward that vision has stalled, as Hamas has refused to lay down its weapons and Israel has continued striking deep inside Gaza, while facing allegations that it is violating additional terms of the October agreement.

Maps issued by Israel in March showed a new restricted area controlled by Israel.

Marked with an orange line, it made up an estimated 11% of Gaza’s territory beyond the “Yellow Line” demarcating the part of Gaza occupied by Israeli troops since the truce.

The areas appeared to cordon off nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s territory in total.

Anti-Hamas militia in Gaza shows off heavy drone

In the remainder, some armed groups backed by Israel continue to challenge Hamas’s dominance as the territory’s governing power.

A militia led by Ashraf al-Mansi, which works against Hamas in northern Gaza with Israeli backing, published footage on Thursday showing one of its members operating a heavy military drone.

The footage appeared to be the first of its kind released by an anti-Hamas militia, which until now have primarily been seen using light weapons.

זה מטורף שמישהו בישראל אישר להעביר את הרחפן הזה למיליציות הפרו ישראליות בעזה. אמצעים אלה נכנסים לעזה באישור של ישראל שאף מספקת אותם. עוד נצטער על זה…. pic.twitter.com/Zh7aTwB4Zc

— Shai Levy (שי לוי) (@shailevy6) May 28, 2026

A statement published on al-Mansi’s Facebook page said that “the People’s Army led by Ashraf al-Mansi in northern Gaza announces the successful introduction of advanced drones into operational use.”

Brig. Gen. Ghassan Dehini, who is considered the commander of various militias in Gaza, announced that “several successful operations” had been carried out using the new drones.

It was unclear where the drones came from, though given Israel’s known military and logistical support for the militias, it is likely they were gifted by Jerusalem.

The IDF has not yet commented on the matter.

IDF strikes kill Hamas commanders, moneyman

Also on Thursday, a funeral was held for Imad Aslim, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Gaza City brigade.

Israel announced on Wednesday that it had targeted Aslim in a strike along with Izz ad-Din Beck, the commander of Hamas’s northern Gaza brigade.

Hamas had not yet commented on the strike or on the fate of the two men.

من وداع وتشييع الشهيد عماد اسليم قائد كتيبة الزيتون بكتائب القسام والذي ارتقى بعملية اغتيال في غزة ليلة أمس. pic.twitter.com/09Is7HW0MO

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Separately, an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip earlier this week killed a senior Hamas moneyman, the IDF announced.

The Tuesday strike in Khan Younis killed Ihab Khrizim, who the military says headed a central network for transferring funds to Hamas.

The strike also killed Mohammed al-Habash, a commander in Hamas’s weapons production headquarters, according to the IDF.

להסרת איום מיידי: צה"ל חיסל ראש תשתית מרכזית להעברת כספים של ארגון הטרור חמאס

צה"ל תקף שלשום, במרחב חאן יונס וחיסל את איהאב כריזם, ראש תשתית מרכזית להעברת כספים של ארגון הטרור חמאס.

במסגרת תפקידו, כריזם היה אחראי על ניהול העברות כספים בשווי מיליוני דולרים לזרוע הצבאית של ארגון… pic.twitter.com/AEt7V1LsRz

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 28, 2026

Khrizim was responsible for “managing the transfer of millions of dollars to Hamas’s military wing,” and recently, he “continued to violate the ceasefire agreement,” as his actions enabled Hamas to advance attacks on troops and Israeli civilians, the IDF said.

The IDF claimed his killing “constitutes a significant blow to the rehabilitation and force-building efforts of the Hamas terror organization.”