Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to increase Israel's control of the Gaza strip to 70%.
“Right now, we are tightening the grip on Hamas,” Netanyahu said on Thursday at the Jordan Valley Conference in the occupied West Bank. “We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. You know that? We were at 50%; we moved to 60%.”
He said he intended to move that up to 70%, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction".
“We will deal with the remnants,” Netanyahu said. “But the most important thing is to continue leveraging our power, to increase it.”
The conference was part of a broader discussion on the Gaza war, Iran, Hezbollah and regional strategy.
His comments came as Palestinians in Gaza City gathered on Thursday for funeral prayers for 10 people killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday.
The dead included five children and an elderly person, as well as a Hamas militant, local reports said.
More than 20 people were injured in the strikes, according to Shifa Hospital. Video from the scene showed flames pouring from an upper-floor window of a building, while bystanders rushed to carry wounded people, including children, to ambulances.
The Israeli military said the strikes had targeted two Hamas militants.
Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces said it had killed the newly appointed leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Odeh, in a strike on northern Gaza.
