Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, Apr 8: Israel has sharply widened its control in the Gaza Strip since it resumed its military campaign against Hamas last month, now reportedly holding over 50% of the territory. The development has forced Palestinians into ever-shrinking areas as Israeli forces advance and establish a more permanent presence.

The largest stretch of land under Israeli control lies along the Gaza border, where rights groups and soldiers say entire Palestinian neighborhoods, farmlands, and infrastructure have been destroyed. This expanded “buffer zone” has almost doubled in recent weeks, turning once-thriving communities into uninhabitable wastelands.

While Israeli authorities frame the expansion as a necessary pressure tactic to secure the release of hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, rights groups fear that the move could signify long-term occupation. The area now under Israeli command includes a strategic corridor that splits Gaza into northern and southern zones.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at a long-lasting presence, stating that Israel will retain security control over Gaza even after Hamas is dismantled. “They destroyed everything they could, they shot everything that looks functioning... (the Palestinians) will have nothing to come back,” an Israeli soldier was quoted as saying.

Human rights advocates warn that the scale of destruction and the forced displacement of residents could amount to efforts to depopulate parts of Gaza, raising fresh international concerns about Israel’s ultimate intentions in the region.