Nearly a year after a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took effect in Gaza, Israeli forces continue to expand and solidify their presence within the Palestinian enclave, according to satellite analysis and reports from analysts, diplomats, and residents.
The cease-fire, established in October 2025 with U.S. backing, initially designated approximately half of Gaza as controlled by Israel, while Hamas retained authority over the remaining territory. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in May that Israeli forces now control around 60 percent of Gaza, with plans to increase their territorial hold further.
Satellite imagery reveals that Israeli forces have constructed at least a dozen new military outposts, many on the rubble of homes and villages destroyed in the aftermath of the war. These outposts, along with new earthen barriers and relocated concrete boundary markers, extend beyond the original withdrawal line agreed upon in the cease-fire. Additionally, Israel has established a restricted-access "orange zone," requiring Palestinians and humanitarian groups to coordinate their movements with the Israeli military.
Since the cease-fire, thousands of buildings on the Israeli-controlled side of the boundary have been demolished, partly in operations aimed at dismantling Hamas’s extensive underground tunnel network. This has left only a small fraction of Gaza’s two million residents living under Israeli control, many of whom are affiliated with armed groups monitored or protected by Israel. The majority remain crowded into a smaller Hamas-administered area along the Gaza coast, where housing shortages are severe following extensive wartime destruction. The United Nations estimates that approximately 80 percent of housing in Gaza has been damaged or destroyed.
Human rights organizations warn that the compression of Gaza’s population into a tighter space has intensified public health challenges, including disease outbreaks and pest infestations. Much of Gaza’s agricultural land lies outside the Israeli-controlled zone and is now inaccessible to local farmers.
Incidents of violence near the shifting boundary lines persist. Israeli forces have opened fire on individuals approaching the restricted zones, citing concerns about Hamas militants probing the lines. According to the United Nations human rights office, at least 196 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed near the boundary since the cease-fire began. Some of those killed appear to be civilians, prompting calls for greater caution. In April, two UNICEF truck drivers were killed near a water-collection point inside the orange zone; Israeli military officials expressed regret and said the drivers had failed to coordinate their movements.
Efforts to advance the peace process have stalled. While U.S. officials reported an agreement with Hamas in July for the group to disarm, Netanyahu rejected the proposal, insisting that Israel will not withdraw from its expanded presence unless there is "genuine disarmament." Israeli authorities maintain that their military bases and outposts are established pursuant to security needs and the terms of the cease-fire, aimed at protecting both Israeli forces and nearby communities.
Plans for reconstruction in Gaza remain uncertain. The United Arab Emirates has proposed building housing complexes for displaced Palestinians in Israeli-controlled areas, but Palestinian technocrats involved in governance efforts have criticized these plans for failing to acknowledge the evolving territorial divisions. Israeli officials have conditioned broader reconstruction efforts on Hamas’s disarmament.
The expansion of Israel’s control in Gaza aligns with a broader security approach favoring buffer zones designed to prevent surprise attacks like the Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the taking of hostages. The subsequent conflict has caused extensive casualties and destruction in Gaza.
Netanyahu recently toured the Israeli-controlled zone in Gaza, reiterating that Israel’s military presence will remain until Hamas deactivates its armed groups. "We control some 60 percent of the territory," he stated, "and our hand is still outstretched," signaling a cautious but firm approach to any future withdrawal or reconciliation.