In the dust-filled streets of Gaza City, the daily routine for many has become a desperate search for survival. Residents can be found sifting through the concrete rubble of overnight Israeli strikes, searching for belongings or loved ones, while grappling with the news of expanding military objectives.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly directed the military to seize a greater portion of the Gaza Strip, specifically targeting control of 70% of the Palestinian territory. For a population already compressed into a tiny coastal enclave, the directive has sparked a wave of cynicism and despair.
"When he occupies 70%, where do we go? To the water, to the sea?" asked 72-year-old Mohammed al-Shagra, voicing the collective anxiety of thousands. "There is no space, where are we to go?"
Current estimates suggest that Israel already effectively controls approximately 64% of the enclave. This control is the result of a relentless two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, an offensive that has left much of the region in ruins.
Speaking at a conference in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu reiterated his stance that the military controls more than 60% of the territory and emphasized that further acquisitions of land are necessary. As the strategic map shifts, the humanitarian reality for the residents of Gaza becomes increasingly precarious, with dwindling safe zones and a growing sense of entrapment.
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As Netanyahu targets 70% of Gaza, residents ask: 'Where do we go?'
cgtn.com
