Israeli army seizes control of 26% of Gaza Strip: Report

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army has seized control of over one-quarter of the Gaza Strip, Haaretz newspaper said on Thursday.

The daily, based on the analysis of satellite photographs and other sources of information, said Israeli army forces are now in control of 26% of Gaza's territory.

The army has been expanding bases in the Palestinian enclave, building infrastructure and paving roads, it said.

Haaretz, citing an unnamed senior army officer, said the seized land in Gaza is "an attempt for continuing occupation."

"The military activity provides unexpected gains for supporters of the resettlement of Gaza and setting the stage for creating a new reality: a long-term Israeli control over Gaza,” it added.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli army has established a buffer zone along the Israeli border with Gaza, leveling nearly all existing buildings there and preventing Palestinians from accessing the area.

"The army also seized the Philadelphi Corridor and flattened many buildings there on the ground," it said of the demilitarized zone along the border between Gaza and Egypt.

"The Israeli army seized the Nitzarim Passage (in central Gaza) and prevented Palestinians from residing there," Haaretz said, noting that this area was once vibrant with life before the army took control.

“The Israeli army established four bases along the passage, with the most prominent base at the Turkish Hospital, where soldiers are loading countless documents from there,” it revealed.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala