Netanyahu 70%-Gaza Directive Holds as Iran-Israel Exchange Restart and Lebanon Fighting Define Thursday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s directive to expand Israeli control of Gaza to 70% of the territory remains in operational effect through Thursday morning as the US-Iran strikes restart, the Iran-Israel pause breaks down and the continued Lebanon fighting defines 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 Thursday-morning picture — US-Iran exchange restarting, Trump “progress” framing broken, Israeli army continuing Lebanon offensive, Hezbollah maintaining operational tempo, Houthi Red Sea ban holding, US House War Powers Resolution constraining further US military action, Gaza 70% directive holding, Brent back above $97 — is the most operationally complex regional posture since the early-summer phase of the war began.