Netanyahu's Gaza Expansion Plan Violates Agreements, Say Western Media

Western media reports indicate that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's reported plan to expand Israeli military control over 70% of the Gaza Strip would constitute a significant violation of international agreements. This potential expansion directly contradicts the ceasefire agreement reached last October, UN Security Council resolutions, and a 20-point peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Trump peace plan had established a temporary "Yellow Line" to divide Gaza into Israeli-controlled and Hamas-controlled areas, pending further peace negotiations. Crucially, the plan emphasized that no one would be forced to leave Gaza, and those wishing to depart would be free to do so and return, with provisions to encourage residents to stay and rebuild.

“

Netanyahu is now essentially stating that the entire Trump deal and the framework for Gaza's settlement are no longer valid. That's the core of the issue. There is no other way to explain it.

Muhammad Shehada, a visiting researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, commented that Netanyahu's current intentions effectively render the Trump accord and the existing framework for Gaza obsolete. "There is no other way to explain it," Shehada was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

If Israel were to expand its control to 70% of Gaza, the approximately 2.2 million Palestinians who have survived the ongoing conflict would be confined to less than one-third of their homeland. Shehada described the current conditions as "already dire," noting that Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, with every square meter filled with refugee families, makeshift tents, and inadequate shelters.

“

The situation there is already dire. It is one of the most densely populated places on earth. Every square meter is filled with refugee families, makeshift tents, or inadequate shelters.