UN Says All of Gaza Should Remain for Palestinians Amid Israeli Expansion Plan

UN Says All of Gaza Should Remain for Palestinians Amid Israeli Expansion Plan
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The United Nations has rejected any expansion of Israeli control over Gaza, saying the entire territory should remain for the Palestinian people.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric made the statement after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel planned to expand its military control in Gaza to 70 percent.

Under the October ceasefire arrangement, Israeli forces were expected to remain behind the so-called Yellow Line, covering about 53 percent of Gaza. However, reports indicate that Israeli-controlled or restricted areas have already expanded to around 64 percent of the enclave.

The UN said it continues to call for Israel to pull back from its occupation of Gaza and maintain the position that Gaza must be for Palestinians.

The development has raised new alarm over the future of the ceasefire and the humanitarian situation in the territory, where more than two million Palestinians are already living in overcrowded and devastated conditions.

Palestinian officials and Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s plan as an attempt to impose a new reality on Gaza, while several international actors warned that further expansion of Israeli control would worsen displacement, deepen the humanitarian crisis, and increase the risk of renewed violence.