Benjamin Netanyahu claimed, Thursday, May 26, to have ordered the army to ignore the terms of the ceasefire that came into force in October and take control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, according to a video broadcast by Israeli television. “Right now we are holding the Hamas at the throat. We now control 60% of the band’s territory.” of Gaza, declared the head of the Israeli government during a conference in an Israeli colony in the occupied West Bank, whose channel 12 published an extract on his site.
“You knowcontinues Benyamin Netanyahu in this video, nous étions à 50 % (after the ceasefire came into force)we have increased to 60, my directive is to increase to …» – “100” then shouts the audience… “In order. First 70. Let’s start with that »continues the Prime Minister. “We’ve got them on all sides… We’ll take care of the rest.” later.
The second phase of the ceasefire
These statements come as Gaza remains the scene of daily violence, with Israeli strikes continuing without respite, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the ceasefire. The truce came into effect under pressure from the United States on October 10, two years after the war started on October 7, 2023 by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel.
The first phase of the ceasefire saw the release of the last Gaza hostages kidnapped by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel. But the transition to the second phase, which should result in the disarmament of Hamas and a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, has appeared completely stalled for weeks.
At the end of the ceasefire, Israeli forces had to retreat behind a « ligne jaune »name given to the dividing line between the zone under the control of Hamas and that held by the Israeli army which gave the latter control of a little more than 50% of the small territory. But Benjamin Netanyahu announced on May 15 that the army had expanded its hold on the Gaza Strip. “Some told us to leave, we didn’t leave and today we control 60% of the territory. Tomorrow we will see »he said.
More than two million Palestinians from Gaza are now crowding into the area of Gaza still under Hamas control, where the humanitarian situation remains “catastrophically” according to the cry of alarm launched on May 22 at the UN by three leading international aid NGOs, accusing Israel of not respecting its obligations.
