Netanyahu ordered the Israeli army to control 70% of the territory in the Gaza Strip

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he had ordered the Israeli army to control 70% of the territory in the Gaza Strip. This move blatantly violates the fragile Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement that came into effect in October last year.

AFP reported that Channel 12 of Israel aired Netanyahu's speech at a meeting in a certain settlement in the West Bank on Thursday (May 28th).

Netanyahu said at the meeting: "We are pressuring Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory in the Gaza Strip."

He said that according to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli forces previously controlled 50% of the Gaza Strip. "My instruction is to expand that to... 70%."

Netanyahu said, "We are pressuring them from all directions. The remaining areas will be dealt with later."

In the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Hamas released the last batch of Israeli hostages in exchange for the return of the Palestinians who had been detained by Israel.

Transition to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which includes the plan for Hamas to disarm and the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, has been stalled for several months.

According to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army should withdraw beyond the "yellow line", which is the boundary between the Hamas-controlled area and the Israeli-controlled area.

Netanyahu announced on May 15th that the Israeli army has expanded its control over the Gaza Strip.