After two years of relentless shelling and ground incursions, Israel’s future in Gaza appeared to be settled with the signing of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan on October 9, 2025.
Under the terms of the deal, Israeli forces were to withdraw behind what planners called the “Yellow Line” and retain control of 58 percent of the territory, with no date set for a complete withdrawal.
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That withdrawal is not happening. Indeed, in the months since then, Israel has expanded its territory by about 11 percent, in addition to killing at least 922 people in near-daily attacks on the enclave during the “ceasefire” period.
The country has also set up at least 32 military outposts, ground barriers, and infrastructure along the alleged temporary line, according to satellite data collected in March.
Since October last year, many humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam, have accused Israel of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by restricting the delivery of aid and other essential goods.
And on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a conference that Israel would seize more territory in the Gaza Strip, saying, “We have now defeated Hamas, and we now control 60 percent of the territory in the Strip. You know, we were 50 years old. My instructions are to move to…”, pausing briefly as someone in the crowd yelled “100 people!”
“Let’s take it step by step,” he answered, “starting with 70 people. We’ll start there. We’re applying pressure from all sides. We’ll deal with the remnants.”
Al Jazeera contacted the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office for clarification, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Will Israel be able to acquire more land in Gaza?
Michael Becker, professor of international human rights law at Trinity College, Dublin, told Al Jazeera: “If Israel’s ultimate plan is to exercise permanent effective control over the entire Gaza Strip, then we are talking about illegal annexation.”
“As the International Court of Justice reaffirmed in its 2024 Advisory Opinion, annexation violates the bedrock prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force.”
Nevertheless, to date, Israeli forces have killed at least 72,819 men, women and children in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, with thousands more missing and estimated to have died under rubble.
By 2025, Israel has caused confirmed famine in the enclave and has now destroyed nearly all infrastructure needed to sustain life. The company has done all this without any significant international sanctions and, despite protests, still participates in numerous international sports and entertainment competitions.
Expectations that the United States might impose its own terms on Israel also appear unfounded. Since announcing a ceasefire in the enclave last October, the United States has failed to respond as Israel expands and strengthens its presence in Gaza, restricting residents’ access to about two-thirds of the enclave by April 2026.
Al Jazeera also contacted the US State Department for comment on this matter, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Will Gaza’s population be able to survive on such a reduced territory?
It’s very difficult to tell. Several agencies, including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), have expressed deep concerns about how Gaza’s remaining population will continue to live in an ever-shrinking space.
Israel’s answer to this is simple. Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Wednesday commemorating the killing of Hamas leader Mohammed Odeh: “The voluntary migration plan from Gaza will also be implemented at the right time and in the right way.”
“Voluntary migration” is a term used by many Israeli government ministers, including Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich. Observers usually agree that this represents ethnic cleansing of the enclave.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense did not respond to Al Jazeera’s questions about this.
Is this legal?
no.
“The idea of permanently removing Palestinians from Gaza would amount to forced evacuation and would also violate the fundamental right of Palestinians to self-determination,” Becker said. The principle of self-determination serves as the “foundation” of the United Nations Charter, he said.
But Becker said the focus of international attention has now shifted from the Gaza crisis to the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran and Israel’s actions in Lebanon, where it occupies large swathes of the country’s south.
“While the Trump administration may intend to diverge from Israel’s interests in seeking a resolution to the disastrous and illegal war that the United States has launched against Iran, it appears that the United States is losing interest in Gaza or encouraging restraint on the part of the Netanyahu government. It is unclear what role the so-called peace commission will play in preserving the future of Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
