Every square metre has another displaced family, another makeshift tent.
In a West Bank settlement, Benjamin Netanyahu announced orders for the Israeli military to seize 70 percent of Gaza — an expansion that formally dissolves the ceasefire brokered by the United States last October and renders its territorial guarantees void. What was framed as a temporary boundary has become, over eight months of methodical advance, the architecture of permanent occupation. For 2.2 million Palestinians already confined to a devastated strip of land, the announcement is not merely a political declaration — it is a compression of the possible, a narrowing of the space in which human life can be sustained.
- Netanyahu, facing elections and fighting for political survival, has ordered the army to expand Israeli control from 60 to 70 percent of Gaza, openly declaring the US-brokered ceasefire and Trump's peace framework null and void.
- Since the October ceasefire, over 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire even as the agreement was supposed to hold — Israeli-backed militias have been systematically clearing territory, forcing families to flee with hours' notice.
- Gaza's 2.2 million survivors would be compressed into less than one-third of their original territory, in what analysts describe as a death sentence for people who have no physical space left to go.
- Israel's defense minister has named the goal openly — mass Palestinian emigration through conditions made unbearable — while human rights organizations call it a long-term plan for ethnic cleansing.
- The UN ceasefire monitor has drawn criticism for shielding Israel from accountability, and Hamas has signaled openness to disarmament talks only if Israel withdraws to the original line — a condition Netanyahu shows no intention of meeting.
- The ceasefire has effectively collapsed, and the emerging fallback plan would restrict Palestinian movement to Israeli-controlled reconstruction zones, leaving those who remain in Hamas-held areas exposed to military action.
Benjamin Netanyahu announced from a West Bank settlement that he had ordered the Israeli army to seize 70 percent of Gaza — up from the 60 percent Israel already holds, itself a steady expansion beyond the original ceasefire line. Facing elections within months and fighting for political survival, he framed it plainly: Israel is squeezing Hamas. What he did not say is that the announcement effectively tears up the October ceasefire brokered by the United States, the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed it, and Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, which had explicitly promised that no one would be forced to leave Gaza.
The October agreement had given Israel direct control of 53 percent of the strip, with the boundary meant to be temporary. Instead, Israeli forces have spent eight months advancing westward, declaring an ever-widening buffer zone where they claim the authority to shoot anyone perceived as a threat. More than 900 Palestinians have been killed during this period. Israeli-backed militias have led the ground-level clearing — in mid-May, armed men entered the area east of Deir al-Balah and gave residents until 10 p.m. to evacuate. Families panicked, grabbed what they could carry, and the area was emptied. Similar operations have unfolded in Jabalia and Khan Younis, with daily tank advances and drone strikes documented by UN briefings.
The humanitarian stakes are severe. Gaza's 2.2 million surviving Palestinians would be confined to less than one-third of their original territory — in a strip already described as the most overcrowded place on earth, where displaced families live in tents and improvised shelters amid systematically destroyed buildings. One analyst called the expansion a death sentence for people who have nowhere left to go.
Israel's defense minister has named the government's ultimate aim: large numbers of Palestinians leaving through what he calls voluntary migration. Human rights organizations describe the same policy as ethnic cleansing achieved by making conditions inside Gaza unlivable. The emerging American fallback, according to analysts involved in backchannel talks, would allow reconstruction only in Israeli-controlled zones, with Palestinians from Hamas-held areas admitted only after security vetting — leaving those who remain categorized as combatants and subject to military action.
The ceasefire has effectively collapsed. Hamas has indicated willingness to discuss disarmament once Israel withdraws to the original line and ceases bombardment. Netanyahu's announcement makes clear Israel intends neither. The agreement meant to be temporary has become the framework for permanent territorial expansion, and the cost is being paid by a population with nowhere left to go.
Benjamin Netanyahu stood in a West Bank settlement and announced what amounts to a unilateral rewriting of the ceasefire that was supposed to end the fighting in Gaza. He had ordered the Israeli army to seize control of 70 percent of the strip—an expansion from the 60 percent Israel currently holds, which itself represents a steady creep beyond the original agreement. The prime minister, facing elections within months and fighting for his political survival, framed it simply: "We are currently squeezing Hamas."
The October ceasefire, brokered by the United States, had established a demarcation line that gave Israel direct control of 53 percent of Gaza. That line was supposed to be temporary, a boundary pending further negotiations. Instead, over eight months, Israeli forces have methodically advanced westward into the territory nominally controlled by Hamas, declaring an ever-widening buffer zone—what they call a "no man's land"—where they claim the authority to shoot anyone they perceive as a threat. During this same period, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire and airstrikes, even as the ceasefire was supposed to be holding.
The expansion to 70 percent would be a direct violation of the October agreement, the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed it, and Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, which explicitly promised that "no one will be forced to leave Gaza." That plan also stated: "We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza." Netanyahu's announcement amounts to a declaration that this framework is no longer operative. As one analyst put it, the prime minister is "declaring the whole Trump deal, the framework for Gaza, to be null and void."
The mechanics of this expansion are already visible on the ground. Israeli-backed militias, some run by Gaza warlords, have taken the lead in clearing territory along the ceasefire line. In mid-May, armed men affiliated with these groups entered the area east of Deir al-Balah and gave residents until 10 p.m. to evacuate their homes. A 26-year-old resident described the scene: families panicked, people grabbed what they could carry, and the area was emptied. Similar operations have been reported in Jabalia in the north and around Khan Younis in the south, with UN briefings documenting daily tank advances and drones targeting any movement near the demarcation line. The militias are not only attacking Hamas; they are systematically pushing Palestinian civilians westward, with reports of killings, arrests, and kidnappings of those living near the line.
The humanitarian consequence is stark. Gaza's 2.2 million surviving Palestinians would be confined to less than one-third of their original territory. The strip is already described as the single most overcrowded place on the planet—every square meter occupied by displaced families, makeshift tents, or improvised shelters. Israeli forces have systematically destroyed the remaining buildings in their zone. Expanding control to 70 percent would compress an already desperate population into even less space, with one analyst calling it "a death sentence for a lot of people who physically have no place to go."
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, has articulated the government's ultimate objective: large numbers of Palestinians leaving Gaza through what he calls "voluntary migration." Human rights activists describe this differently—as a long-term plan for ethnic cleansing achieved by making conditions inside Gaza unbearable. The emerging American fallback plan, according to Israeli analysts involved in backchannel negotiations, appears to involve reconstruction work only in Israeli-controlled zones, with Palestinians from Hamas-controlled areas allowed to move there only after being vetted for links to militant groups. The logic is that anyone remaining in the Hamas zone would then be "Hamas and other armed groups," leaving Israel free to deal with them as it chooses.
The ceasefire, already fragile, appears to have effectively collapsed. Hamas has signaled willingness to discuss disarmament once Israel fulfills its obligations—ceasing bombardment and withdrawing to the original line. But Netanyahu's announcement suggests Israel has no intention of doing either. The UN's Trump-appointed monitor, a Bulgarian diplomat named Nickolay Mladenov, faced criticism for a recent report that assigned primary blame for ceasefire failures to Hamas while holding Israel unaccountable for its violations. The pattern is clear: the agreement that was meant to be temporary has become a framework for permanent territorial expansion, and the humanitarian cost is being paid by a population with nowhere left to go.
Notable Quotes
We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60% of the territory in the strip. My directive is to move to 70%.— Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu is now declaring the whole Trump deal, the framework for Gaza, to be null and void.— Muhammad Shehada, European Council on Foreign Relations
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
When Netanyahu says he's "squeezing Hamas," what does that actually mean on the ground?
It means pushing the boundary westward, taking more territory, destroying what's there, and forcing the people living there to move further into an already packed space. It's not a military operation against a specific target—it's territorial expansion dressed up as counterterrorism.
But the ceasefire was supposed to prevent this. Why is it still happening?
Because the ceasefire never had real enforcement. There's a demarcation line on paper, but no mechanism to stop Israel from crossing it. The Trump-appointed monitor blamed Hamas for the violations, not Israel. That's the cover Netanyahu needed.
What about the militias? Are they Israeli forces or separate?
Officially separate, but they're doing Israel's work—clearing territory, forcing evacuations, killing civilians who resist. They function as shock troops. It's a way for Israel to maintain some distance from the direct orders.
The defense minister mentioned "voluntary migration." How voluntary is it when armed men tell you to leave by 10 p.m.?
It's not voluntary at all. It's coercion. But calling it that way allows the government to claim Palestinians are choosing to leave, rather than being forced out. The end result is the same—displacement—but the language protects them diplomatically.
Is there any mechanism left to stop this?
Not really. The UN can pass resolutions, but they're not enforced. Trump's peace plan is being ignored. Hamas is waiting for Israel to honor the original ceasefire terms, but Israel has no incentive to do that. The negotiations are effectively over.
What happens to the 2.2 million people in the remaining territory?
They're trapped. There's nowhere to go, no way out, and conditions are already catastrophic. If Israel takes 70 percent, you're looking at a humanitarian disaster that's hard to even describe—not a future crisis, but an immediate one.