During an operational field tour on Wednesday at an IDF outpost adjacent to the Yellow Line deep within the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel currently controls 60% of the enclave’s territory and stated unequivocally that IDF forces will remain deployed along this perimeter with no intention of pulling back.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, and Commander of the 99th “Flash” Division Brig. Gen. Elad Tzuri. During the briefing, commanders provided Netanyahu with an in-depth operational overview of tactical control along the Yellow Line, ongoing sweeps to neutralize terrorist threats, and multi-layered defense postures protecting Israeli border communities. Addressing deployed fighters and field commanders, Netanyahu said: “I am here inside the Gaza Strip with the Chief of Staff, the head of Southern Command, and our heroic commanders and soldiers. We control the ground here. You can see Ashkelon right over there; you can see all of our communities in every direction—Sderot, Netivot, the kibbutzim.”
Reaffirming Israel’s strategic security posture and long-term territorial control, Netanyahu stressed: “We control the area. We are not pulling back. We are staying along this line. We hold 60% of the Strip, and our hand is still outstretched because we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us, doing so day in and day out. Just yesterday we apprehended the head of Hamas’s ‘Shin Bet.’ We are certainly going to learn a few things.” Addressing the broader strategic objectives of the campaign, he added: “We are doing everything to reach our objective—the dismantling of Hamas’s weapons and the complete demilitarization of Gaza. Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. To a large extent, this goal has already been achieved, but there is still work to finish—and we will finish it.”
In recent days, the IDF has intensified precision operational strikes against Hamas assets despite the formal ceasefire framework enacted in October 2025. Security establishment officials underscored that operations are strictly designed to thwart imminent attacks and prevent the terror organization’s rearmament, while Hamas claims the moves violate existing understandings.
At the center of the ongoing push was a daring, high-stakes special forces operation conducted in Gaza City: Shin Bet and IDF units raided a hideout, capturing Hamas’s internal security chief without casualties and extracting him into Israel for interrogation. Officials noted the commander had been actively orchestrating moves to consolidate Hamas rule in northern Gaza and direct attacks against troops along the Yellow Line. Precision IAF strikes accompanied the raid to secure the operational perimeter.
Alongside the high-profile capture, the IDF has conducted consecutive targeted eliminations: an IAF strike targeted a military wing commander in the Jabalia sector, and confirmation was given that an earlier strike eliminated two senior operatives—Talal Mustafa Saleh Badawi, a commander in the military security department of the Gaza City Brigade, and operative Momo Said Muhammad Hawari—both tasked with reconstituting military capabilities and planning hostile actions against Israel.