NEED TO KNOW

• Netanyahu says he ordered the IDF to expand control of Gaza from 60% to 70%
• That exceeds the ~53% Israel was allotted under the October ceasefire it hasn't exited
• His own military chief signaled disagreement the same day the directive went public

JERUSALEM (TDR) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has directed the Israeli military to take control of 70% of Gaza, pushing past the line drawn by a still-active ceasefire and over objections from his own commanders.

The big picture: Netanyahu framed the expansion as pressure on Hamas, by his own arithmetic moving well beyond the truce.

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• "We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory," he said in remarks aired by Channel 12, adding his directive was to reach 70%.
• The October ceasefire allotted Israel roughly 53% of the Strip, with forces meant to hold behind a demarcation "yellow line" separating the two sides.

Why it matters: This deepens a military hold over a territory of roughly two million people while the deal meant to wind the war down sits frozen.

• The truce's second phase, covering Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal, has stalled for months.
• Defense Minister Israel Katz said the same week that a plan for the "voluntary migration" of Gazans would be implemented "at the right time."

Driving the news: The directive landed alongside Israel's continued targeting of Hamas commanders.

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• Israel said it killed Mohammed Odeh, the new head of Hamas's armed wing, the fourth Qassam Brigades chief it claims to have killed since the war began.
• When an audience member shouted that Israel should take "100 percent," Netanyahu replied, "First 70%. We'll start with that."

What they're saying: The order exposed a split between the political leadership and the military.

• Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister — "We're squeezing them from all sides. We'll deal with what's left afterwards."
• IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir — issued a statement the same day that the "culture of debate" was central to the military, an apparent reference to internal disagreement.
• Hamas — said Gaza "will remain defiant" and vowed the cost of expanded operations would be "high and costly" for Israel.

Yes, but: The "squeeze Hamas" rationale is not hollow. The group still holds territory, its second-phase disarmament hasn't happened, and Israel has killed successive Qassam commanders, including Odeh. But a stated push past the agreed line, announced from a settlement podium rather than a security cabinet, is a political act as much as a tactical one, and Israel's own military brass appears not fully aligned.

• Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce since it took effect October 10.
• Gaza's health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable, says Israel has killed more than 900 people since the ceasefire began.

Between the lines: A ceasefire that one side openly expands past, while the other is accused of stalling disarmament, is a ceasefire in name only, and both governments have reasons to keep the name. For Netanyahu, the label preserves the hostage framework and international cover while the map keeps moving. For Hamas, it preserves the territory it still holds. What neither says plainly is that "ceasefire" has become the word each uses for a war it is still fighting on its own terms.

What's next:

• Israeli media have reported a full takeover of Gaza could take the military up to six months to complete.
• Netanyahu has said he wants no long-term Israeli governance, proposing instead a security perimeter and handover to unspecified "Arab forces."

When a truce is broken a little at a time by both sides, who gets to decide the moment it no longer counts as one?

Sources

This report was compiled using reporting from RTÉ/AFP, the Times of Israel, Middle East Eye, and Reuters via Yahoo News

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