Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israeli forces would not withdraw from the Gaza Strip and would expand their deployment there, saying the army currently controls 60% of the Strip’s territory. He made the remarks in a filmed address delivered from the area inside Gaza known as the “Yellow Line.”
Hamas, meanwhile, called on mediators and guarantors to exert the greatest possible pressure on the Israeli government to halt what it described as “escalating violations” in Gaza and compel it to respect the ceasefire agreement and implement its provisions.
Expanding the deployment and arresting a Hamas commander
Netanyahu said his government sought to make the Gaza Strip “a demilitarised zone that poses no threat to Israel.”
We seek to make the Gaza Strip “a demilitarised zone that poses no threat to Israel.”
Netanyahu also spoke about the arrest of a Hamas commander, saying Israeli forces had arrested the head of the group’s intelligence service the previous day and would obtain information from him. The Israeli military said an operation it conducted in northern Gaza resulted in the arrest of Moein al-Arabid, whom it described as the head of Hamas’s internal security service.
Katz confirms military operations will continue
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that 70% of the Strip’s territory had been destroyed and was without tunnels or infrastructure, claiming it was fully under the control of Israeli forces. He also confirmed that military operations would continue, threatening a strong response to any gunfire from Gaza.
Mutual accusations of violating the ceasefire
The ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 with US backing halted large-scale fighting in the Strip without ending Israeli attacks. Israel says its operations aim to thwart attacks carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
Hamas accuses Israel of violating the agreement and undermining implementation of a broader plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to end the war, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the disarmament of the group. Netanyahu rejected the plan’s final phase last month after Hamas announced its agreement to hand over its weapons.
