UN Declares 100% of Gaza Belongs to Palestinians, Condemns Israeli Occupation Plans

The United Nations has strongly rejected Israeli plans to extend military control over Gaza, affirming that the entire besieged Palestinian territory must remain under the sovereignty of its rightful inhabitants.

said UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric during a Friday press briefing, reiterating the organization’s long-standing demand for a complete Israeli pullback.

Dujarric added, underscoring that the UN’s stance on Palestinian territorial rights remains firm and unchanged.

These remarks were delivered in direct response to statements made a day earlier by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who disclosed that Israeli forces currently hold approximately 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and that his government intends to push that figure to 70 percent — without specifying how or when the additional land would be seized.

The Israeli military had previously announced last October that it controlled 53 percent of Gaza following a repositioning of its forces along what is referred to as the “yellow line” — a temporary boundary in eastern Gaza separating Israeli-controlled zones from areas where Palestinians are still permitted to live. The arrangement was part of a phased plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to bring the conflict to an end, with the second phase of Israeli withdrawals beginning in January.

However, Palestinian sources report that this boundary has been shifting steadily westward. Bassem Naim, a senior figure in the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, stated that Israel has pushed the line an additional 8 to 9 percent deeper into Gaza, effectively bringing Israeli-controlled territory to more than 60 percent of the enclave. Israeli forces have also built up a network of elevated earth barriers along the line, providing military positions with unobstructed views over Palestinian neighborhoods and facilitating surveillance and fire across Gaza’s heavily damaged urban areas.

Since launching its military campaign on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded at least 172,000 others — the majority of whom are women and children. The assault has also systematically destroyed Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, power stations, water networks, and entire residential districts. The ongoing blockade and mass displacement have left Gaza’s population trapped, with humanitarian aid reaching the territory only in critically limited quantities.