Israel Now Controls ~60% of Gaza Despite Ceasefire as IDF War Resumption Plans Completed — Day 942

On May 6, 2026 (Day 942 / Ceasefire Day 209), Israeli Army Radio reported that IDF forces had expanded their effective control to approximately 60 percent of the Gaza Strip — despite the October 2025 ceasefire agreement that called for gradual Israeli withdrawal and free Palestinian movement. The expanded military footprint encompassed buffer zones and areas along the south, north, and east of Gaza, confining the Palestinian civilian population to roughly 40 percent of the enclave while Israeli forces occupied the remainder. Senior IDF officers were described as pressing for the resumption of full military operations, with operational plans 'completed' and awaiting political authorization from Prime Minister Netanyahu's security cabinet. The territorial expansion contradicted the ceasefire's withdrawal schedule and added to the 2,400+ documented ceasefire violations reported by the Gaza Governmental Media Office since October 10, 2025. The IDF expansion was directly tied to the broader October 7 aftermath and its unresolved political questions: so long as Hamas refuses to disarm and renounce future attacks on Israel, the Israeli military maintains it must retain a controlling buffer zone as a security guarantee. Palestinian officials said the de facto occupation of 60% of Gaza was forcing families into overcrowded areas with inadequate food, water, sanitation, and medical care — compounding the $71.4 billion reconstruction crisis that cannot be unlocked until governance and security guarantees are established. The May 6 Board of Peace announcement that it would not hold Israel to ceasefire terms if Hamas rejected disarmament further legitimized the Israeli military posture in the eyes of international observers, even as humanitarian organizations condemned it as collective punishment under international law.