Israeli military officials say that the IDF now occupies 70% of Gaza

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that the Israeli government has plans drawn up to establish three Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and is just waiting for approval from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The settlements, which would clearly be illegal under international law, are being planned by the Israeli Defense Ministry's Settlement Administration, a body created under Smotrich, who also holds a position in the Defense Ministry, in 2023.

Smotrich said the administration has "completed the groundwork to establish three settlements in the north Gaza area" and called on Netanyahu to "give the approval" in order to "complete the mission and restore true security for the residents of the south."

Israeli military officials said last week that the IDF now controls 70% of Gaza, a violation of the US-backed ceasefire deal, which left Israeli troops occupying about 53% of the Palestinian territory. The deal explicitly stated that Israel couldn't take any more territory if Hamas fulfilled its obligations under the agreement, which the group did by releasing all remaining Israeli hostages and retrieving the bodies of the deceased Israelis.

Israeli officials claim Hamas has violated the deal by not disarming, but Hamas didn't commit to laying down its weapons under the ceasefire deal. The issues of the group's disarmament and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza were meant to be worked out in follow-up negotiations, which have been impeded by Israel's constant violations of the agreement, which have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians.

Smotrich said in his remarks that Israel should take more than 70% of Gaza, and Netanyahu had hinted last month that taking over all of the Palestinian territory was the ultimate goal. "First 70%. We'll start with that." Netanyahu said at a conference last month when someone shouted that Israel should take "100%" of Gaza.

Smotrich's comments about settlements come as Israeli media is reporting that Israeli government officials are reviving their push for an ethnic cleansing plan to forcibly remove the Palestinian population of Gaza, which they are rebranding as a "free movement plan." So far, Israel has failed to find any countries willing to be complicit in the effort and take in Palestinians from Gaza.