Netanyahu Orders IDF to Seize 70% of Gaza in Major Ceasefire Breach

The fragile ceasefire in Gaza, brokered by the United States in October 2025, is unraveling as Israel dramatically escalates its territorial seizures and a long-term plan for Palestinian emigration gains momentum. In a direct and open challenge to the truce’s terms, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, up from the 53% it was permitted to hold . This expansion comes as talks for a second phase of the agreement are deadlocked, with Hamas refusing to disarm and the humanitarian situation growing ever more dire.

A Ceasefire in Name Only: The 70% Seizure Order

The most significant breach of the October 2025 ceasefire to date occurred on May 28, 2026, when Netanyahu publicly announced his directive to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to expand its control over the Palestinian enclave to 70% . Speaking at a conference in an occupied West Bank settlement, Netanyahu stated, "We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60 percent of the territory in the strip… My directive is to move to... 70 percent" . This declaration makes explicit a policy of incremental expansion that has been underway for months. As recently as mid-May 2026, Netanyahu confirmed IDF control had already crept up to 60%, up from the initially agreed 53%, admitting Israel was "tightening our grip on Hamas" .

The phased expansion represents a fundamental breakdown of the "Yellow Line" demarcation established by the truce . International observers and multiple media outlets characterized the order as a direct violation of the ceasefire and a move that threatens to "torpedo an already fragile ceasefire and create catastrophic humanitarian conditions" . The remaining population is being compressed into a dwindling coastal area, with reports indicating that 2.1 million people are now crammed into roughly 40% of the Strip .

The Core Impasse: Phase Two and Hamas's Disarmament

The territorial expansion unfolds against the backdrop of a completely stalled negotiation for the ceasefire's second phase. The central, intractable issue is Hamas's refusal to disarm. The U.S.-created International Board of Peace reported to the UN Security Council that Hamas is "the principal obstacle" to implementing the truce's later stages, citing its refusal to accept a process for the verified decommissioning of its weapons . U.S. envoy Nickolay Mladenov, the top diplomat for the Board of Peace, has stated bluntly that the entire ceasefire "hinges on Hamas disarming" .

Hamas has remained defiant, insisting it will not discuss disarmament until Israel first fulfills its own obligations under the initial phase of the plan. The group demands a full Israeli withdrawal from lands seized beyond the ceasefire line and the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials . As a result, negotiations have reached a "brink of complete collapse," with the Israeli security establishment openly preparing for a potential resumption of full-scale war . The stalemate has left the Strip in a state of suspended devastation, with major reconstruction projects conditioned on the very disarmament that is being rejected .

Institutionalizing Departure: The 'Voluntary Emigration' Plan

While military pressure intensifies, the Israeli government is also formalizing long-term plans for a large-scale departure of Palestinians from Gaza. On May 27 and 28, 2026, Defense Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed the government's commitment to implementing a "voluntary emigration" plan "at the right time and in the right manner" . The government has already established a new directorate within the Defense Ministry to facilitate the "safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure" by land, sea, and air .

Israel frames the initiative as a humanitarian gesture, allowing civilians to leave a war zone. "Hamas used Gaza residents as human shields… and is now holding them hostage, extorting money from them by use of humanitarian aid, and preventing them from leaving Gaza," Katz has stated . However, human rights observers and international bodies reject this framing, describing the plan as a policy of forced displacement or ethnic cleansing, a charge the Israeli government denies .

The emigration plan has been enthusiastically endorsed by Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners, who view it as the "only realistic solution." Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has previously called for Israel to encourage half of Gaza's 2.2 million Palestinians to emigrate within two years . This internal political pressure from figures like Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who advocate for reestablishing permanent Israeli settlements and military control in Gaza, provides a critical context for the government's aggressive dual-track strategy of territorial seizure and population transfer ahead of elections scheduled for October 2026 .

A Mounting Civilian Toll

The ongoing military operations and expansion have continued to exact a heavy price on the civilian population, even under the nominal ceasefire. Since the truce came into effect in October 2025, more than 870 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes . These deaths, resulting from expanding ground operations and aerial bombardments, underscore the vast gap between the ceasefire's promise of a cessation of hostilities and the violent reality on the ground.