The U.S.-Brokered ‘Ceasefire’ Is Now a Sick Joke as Netanyahu Orders His Army to Swallow 70% of Gaza
A full-scale land grab.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza has officially collapsed into a sick joke. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just ordered his military to seize 70% of the Gaza Strip, a brazen expansion that shreds the already fragile truce. In footage aired by Israeli media on May 28, 2026, Netanyahu confirmed Israel already controls 60% of Gaza and directed troops to push that to 70%.
According to Al Jazeera, when someone in the audience yelled that Israel should take the entire enclave, he didn’t push back. Instead, he said they’d start with 70%, leaving the door wide open for a full takeover. This isn’t just a violation of the ceasefire; it’s a full-scale land grab. Back in March, the Israeli army quietly sent maps to aid organizations showing it had already expanded control by 11% beyond the so-called “Yellow Line,” the boundary set in the October 2025 truce.
That pushed Israel’s grip from 53% to 64% of Gaza. Now, with Netanyahu’s latest order, two million Palestinians, already crammed into a shrinking sliver of land after years of war, are being squeezed into an even smaller prison. Two-thirds of Gaza is now completely off-limits to them, and the humanitarian crisis is spiraling out of control.
Despite the nominal truce, Israeli airstrikes never stopped
An Al Jazeera tally from October to April counted at least 2,400 violations since the ceasefire. Just this Thursday, an Israeli air raid killed 10 people, including four children, and wounded 20 more. The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) painted a grim picture in its latest report.
Displaced families are living in overcrowded tents, schools, or bombed-out buildings. Clean water is scarce, waste is piling up, and rats and insects are spreading disease. Residential areas are still under constant threat from airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire.
Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative overseeing the U.S.-founded Board of Peace for Gaza, warned last week that the situation is deteriorating into a permanent disaster. Speaking to the UN Security Council, he urged the body to pressure Hamas to disarm and Israel to actually honor the ceasefire, pointing to its continued killings and blockade of humanitarian aid.
The war has already killed more than 72,775 Palestinians. Hundreds more have died in the past seven months alone. And since Israel’s war with Iran escalated in February, the bombardment of Gaza has only intensified. Conflict monitors say the pace of strikes has accelerated, turning what was supposed to be a ceasefire into a slow-motion catastrophe.
Netanyahu’s land grab isn’t happening in a vacuum
Just a day before his latest directive, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, made it clear that ethnic cleansing is part of the long-term plan. According to The Guardian, in a statement marking the targeted killing of Mohammed Odeh, Hamas’s latest military commander, Katz said the government would push for large-scale Palestinian migration “at the right time and in the right manner.”
He framed it as part of Israel’s goal to exclude Hamas from power, but human rights groups and lawyers say the policy amounts to forced expulsion. The term “voluntary migration” is a thinly veiled euphemism. Israel has already set up a bureau for “voluntary emigration” and loosened travel restrictions for Palestinians looking to leave Gaza for good. But with Israel controlling the borders and bombing the strip into rubble, no one believes these departures are truly voluntary.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel called out the policy last year, saying it’s not about “encouraging voluntary emigration” but about forced evacuation. Creating conditions where people can’t survive – no water, no food, no safety – and then offering them a way out isn’t a choice. It’s coercion. And under international law, the forced transfer of civilian populations is a war crime and a crime against humanity.
Katz’s spokesperson didn’t even bother responding when asked if Israel still cared about the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. This explicitly states that Gaza should be redeveloped “for the benefit of the people of Gaza.”
This isn’t just about military strategy
With an election looming by the end of October, Netanyahu and his allies are playing to their base. Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine at the International Crisis Group, said the government is looking for ways to flex its military muscle as the ceasefire drags on.
“Unfortunately, talking about ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not necessarily something that will hurt you in domestic politics,” she said. “In fact, it might even help you.” That’s a chilling assessment, but it tracks with the reality on the ground. Netanyahu’s order to seize 70% of Gaza is about sending a message to voters that he’s still in control, no matter the cost.
The U.S. brokered this ceasefire, but it’s clear now that Israel never intended to honor it. The “Yellow Line” was always just a suggestion, and the truce was just a pause in the violence, not an end to it. With Netanyahu pushing for more land and Katz openly advocating for ethnic cleansing, the future of Gaza looks bleaker than ever.
(Featured image: The White House)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow The Mary Sue:
