Netanyahu says Israel aims to expand control to 70% of Gaza

TEL AVIV / PNN/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli forces currently control about 60% of the Gaza Strip and have been instructed to expand that to 70%, according to remarks reported by Israeli media.Netanyahu indicated that the directive is part of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, as operations continue across multiple areas of the enclave amid intensified ground and air activity.In Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said a man died Thursday of wounds he sustained two days earlier in an Israeli strike in the central part of the territory. Others were reported injured by Israeli gunfire in the Al-Salateen area, west of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Wednesday rose to 10, according to local health officials.The latest developments come as international concern grows over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Aid agencies have warned of worsening conditions for civilians, while calls for a ceasefire and expanded humanitarian access have intensified.Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, have said the military campaign will continue until its objectives are achieved, including dismantling militant capabilities and securing the release of hostages held in Gaza.