UN condemns Israel's plan to expand control over Gaza territory

Washington (ANTARA) - The UN condemned Israel’s plan to expand its control over Gaza to 70% on Friday, insisting that all Palestinian territory must belong to the Palestinian people. ‘100% of Gaza must belong to the Palestinian people,’ UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York. He reiterated the UN’s call for Israel to withdraw from occupied territories along the so-called ‘yellow line’. ‘That is what we want to see, and we have called on Israel to withdraw from its occupation along the so-called yellow line, and this will remain our position,’ Dujarric said. The statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his country currently controls around 60% of Gaza. Netanyahu also hinted at plans to expand Israeli-controlled areas to 70%, though he did not explain how this would be achieved. The Israeli military stated in October last year that it had taken control of 53% of Gaza after redeploying troops to the area known as the ‘yellow line’. This move was part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. The plan includes further Israeli troop withdrawals in the second phase, which began in January. The ‘yellow line’ refers to a temporary buffer zone in eastern Gaza separating Israeli military-controlled areas from Palestinian-populated zones. However, Palestinian sources say the boundary has been shifting westward in recent months. Hamas senior official Bassem Naim told Anadolu that Israel has moved the line further into Gaza by 8-9%. According to Naim, this has increased Israeli-controlled areas to over 60% of Gaza.