UN Warns Israel's Plan to Seize 70% of Gaza Threatens Children

The United Nations (UN) issued a stern warning on Friday, 29 May 2026, regarding Israel’s plan to expand its military control to cover 70% of the Gaza Strip. The move is expected to multiply the suffering of children already trapped in extreme population density.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to seize more territory in the Palestinian enclave, disregarding the fragile ceasefire agreement that came into effect last October. Netanyahu stated that Israel previously controlled 50% of Gaza under the ceasefire terms, later increasing it to 60%. “My directive is to move up to 70%,” he declared.

UNICEF warned that this expansion would deepen the health crisis in the war-ravaged region. Children in Gaza are currently enduring acute shortages of food, clean water, and sanitation facilities.

UNICEF spokesperson Salim Oweis reported from Gaza that residents are now crowded into just 40% of the territory’s total area. “People are forced to seek shelter among building ruins and piles of solid waste,” Oweis told journalists in Geneva.

Poor environmental conditions have triggered mass disease outbreaks. More than half of households reported skin diseases, respiratory infections, and acute diarrhoea in children.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Netanyahu’s announcement, calling it a serious violation of the ceasefire foundation. Since the agreement began to unravel, daily violence has persisted in Gaza.

Data from the Gaza Health Ministry, deemed reliable by the UN, recorded over 900 deaths in the latest wave of violence. Cumulatively, more than 72,800 Palestinians have died since the conflict began on 7 October 2023.

Oweis warned that continued Israeli land seizures would cut off access to humanitarian aid points. “This will only mean one thing: more children will suffer,” he concluded. Currently, no hospitals in Gaza are fully operational to handle the surge in child patients. (AFP/I-2)