‘.Israeli plan to extend control in Gaza provokes German concern
Comments mark a shift in Berlin’s stance towards one of its key allies, of which it has long been a strong supporter.
By Daniel Khalili-Tari and Reuters
Published On 29 May 202629 May 2026
The German government has expressed concern over Israeli plans to extend its military control of Gaza.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said on Friday that Berlin opposes any permanent division of Gaza.
The comment came in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order to the Israeli military to increase control in the enclave to 70 percent.
The expansion of Israeli occupation raises questions over the durability of the nominal “ceasefire” brokered by the United States and regional countries, including Qatar and Turkiye, in October.
That deal required the Israeli military to pull back so it controlled about half of Gaza. However, it has steadily expanded control as it continues to fight Hamas, and fears are growing of a return to full-scale war.
An expansion of Israeli control would also worsen conditions for Gaza’s 2.3 million people already squeezed into about 35 percent of the small enclave.
Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies and its second-largest weapons supplier after the US.
However, in recent months Berlin has begun criticising some Israeli actions, including its annexation of more territory in the occupied West Bank, and the implementation of the death penalty solely for Palestinians.
Fears of annexation
Speaking on Thursday, Netanyahu suggested Israel might even seize more than 70 percent of Gaza.
“We were at 50, we moved to 60,” Netanyahu said as he explained that he has now ordered the military to increase control to 70 percent.
Let’s start with that,” he said
The steady expansion of Israeli control since, in violation of the terms of the ceasefire, has raised Palestinian fears that Israel aims to permanently annex large parts of the enclave.
Some Israeli officials have suggested they hope to permanently expel Palestinians.
Earlier this week, Defence Minister Israel Katz said efforts were underway to encourage “voluntary emigration”.
On Friday, Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said “any attempt to impose a new reality of occupation in Gaza is null and illegitimate,” adding that Netanyahu’s statement “represents a dangerous escalation”.
Critics argue that the term “voluntary” is a euphemism, following nearly three years of genocide when most of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving the territory uninhabitable.
In a report published last month, both the United Nations and European Union said Israel’s war on Gaza has had a “catastrophic impact on human development”. The report estimated that more than $70bn was needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction.’
report Al Jazeera
I wonder if this will be part of the discussions on further land grabs in Lebanon