Netanyahu 70%-Gaza Directive Holds as Iran Strikes and Broken Lebanon Ceasefire Define Monday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s directive to expand Israeli control of Gaza to 70% of the territory remains in operational effect through Monday evening as the IRGC Nevatim and Tel Nof strikes and the broken Lebanon ceasefire define the regional posture. Since the October 10 ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 906 Palestinians and injured more than 2,747 others, per Al Jazeera’s ceasefire-violation tracker. Gaza’s health ministry says the Israeli campaign has killed at least 72,800 Palestinians since the war began in October 2023.
The 70%-control target represents a significant expansion of Israeli territorial control from the roughly 40-45% Israel was operating in before the directive. Critics — including some inside the Israeli security establishment — say the territorial-control objective is incompatible with the second-phase obligations Israel signed up to. The Monday-evening picture — IRGC Nevatim/Tel Nof strikes, Netanyahu “paused fire” framing, Israeli Beirut Dahieh strikes, Brent above $100, Putin air-defence vow, Gaza 70% directive holding — is the most diplomatically and operationally complex daily posture since the early-summer phase of the war began. Egyptian mediators continue indirect Hamas-Israel hostage-talks but remain deadlocked.