Israel-Gaza conflict: IDF says it controls 40% of Gaza city; vows to expand offensive

The Israeli military said Thursday it now controls 40 percent of Gaza City, the largest urban center in the Palestinian territory, as forces prepare to push further into the area.

"Today we hold 40 percent of the territory of Gaza City. The operation will continue to expand and intensify in the coming days," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a video statement, as cited by AFP. "We will increase the pressure on Hamas until it is defeated."

The advance follows Israeli defence minister Israel Katz’s approval last month of a military plan to capture Gaza City and his authorisation of about 60,000 reservists to support the effort, the Defence Ministry told AFP on Wednesday.


The latest campaign, codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots B,” builds on an earlier operation under the same name, during which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they gained control of 75 percent of Gaza’s territory to pressure Hamas into a hostage deal.

Hamas condemned the renewed offensive, saying it demonstrated Israel’s "blatant disregard" for efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement in the nearly two-year conflict. The group also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being "the real obstacle to any agreement" and of neglecting the lives of Israeli hostages.

An Israeli official said the government remained firm that any deal must include the release of all hostages.

The announcement comes as mediators intensify efforts to secure a truce. Hamas has already backed a framework that calls for a 60-day ceasefire, a phased release of hostages, the freeing of Palestinian prisoners, and expanded humanitarian aid for Gaza. However, a senior Israeli official said the government insists on the immediate release of all hostages.

The war began with Hamas’s assault on Israel in October 2023, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel’s response has since killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The United Nations considers the ministry’s figures reliable.