Occupation claims assassination of Qassam leader, Netanyahu plans to occupy 70% of Gaza

A Palestinian citizen was martyred and at least nine others were injured with varying degrees of severity since dawn on Friday, following a series of Israeli attacks targeting various areas in the Gaza Strip. These aggressions come within the framework of ongoing daily violations of the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10, 2025. Medical and local sources reported that the escalation included intensive airstrikes and artillery shelling.

In Gaza City, occupation aircraft targeted a gathering of civilians in Al-Shawa Square, east of the city, resulting in one martyr and several injuries. Hospitals also received seven wounded individuals whose conditions were described as moderate to serious due to an airstrike that targeted a densely populated residential area at dawn, amidst a state of panic among residents who face repeated targeting.

In the city center, a qualitative aggression occurred when an Israeli helicopter shelled commercial warehouses located beneath the 'Harz' building near Al-Yarmouk Stadium, causing a massive fire to break out at the site. Civil defense crews made strenuous efforts to control and extinguish the fire, amid continuous intensive overflights by warplanes and drones in the skies of the Strip.

On the ground in the central Strip, a Palestinian woman was shot by occupation forces near the entrance to Al-Bureij refugee camp and was transferred to the hospital in critical condition. Infiltrating military vehicles in the Salah al-Din Street area also fired their machine guns at citizens near the Gaza Valley bridge, resulting in a young Palestinian man being injured with various wounds, according to eyewitnesses.

In a related context, Israeli artillery targeted the courtyard of a house in 'Block 9' within Al-Bureij camp, coinciding with artillery shelling that hit the Al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City. The aggressions were not limited to land but also included the sea, where warships fired their shells and machine guns at fishing boats and the city's coast, in an attempt to impose a suffocating naval blockade.

On another note, the Israeli occupation army claimed to have carried out an assassination operation targeting a leader in the Al-Qassam Brigades, Imad Hassan Hussein Esleem, who holds the position of deputy commander of the Gaza City Brigade and commander of the Al-Zaytoun Battalion. A statement by the occupation army claimed that the operation was carried out last Wednesday in cooperation with the 'Shin Bet' agency, accusing Esleem of responsibility for major military operations.

The Israeli statement added that the operation also targeted another prominent leader in the Hamas movement, noting that the results are still under examination and scrutiny. While no immediate official comment was issued by the Hamas movement or its military wing regarding these claims, local sources confirmed the funeral of the martyr Esleem in Gaza City after he was targeted.

Politically, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked a wave of anger and international warnings after announcing his government's intention to expand the area occupied by the army in the Gaza Strip to 70%. Netanyahu had previously acknowledged that his forces controlled about 60% of the Strip's area, affirming his determination to proceed with seizing more Palestinian lands.

Hamas responded to these statements by describing them as an 'ethnic cleansing plan' aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians and imposing a new occupation reality. Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the government media office, affirmed that any attempts to change the geography of the Strip or impose permanent military control are null and illegitimate measures that the Palestinian people will not accept.

At the international level, the European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, warned of the catastrophic humanitarian repercussions of expanding the occupation in Gaza. Lenarčič said that this policy suffocates already besieged Palestinian families and directly obstructs the delivery of essential relief aid, emphasizing the need for Israel to adhere to international law.

The European official indicated that families in Gaza are now living between 'moving borders' that change without warning, making it impossible for relief teams to perform their duties safely. She reiterated her call to the international community to pressure the occupation authorities to ensure the protection of civilians and the permanent and unconditional opening of humanitarian corridors.

Official statistics indicate that the toll of ceasefire violations since last October has reached 922 martyrs and more than 2,700 injured, putting the agreement in a state of de facto collapse. These violations continue at a time when the Strip suffers from massive destruction of infrastructure and the health system as a result of the ongoing aggression.

In a terrifying overall toll, the number of victims of the genocide war waged by the occupation since October 2023 has exceeded 72,000 martyrs and 172,000 injured and missing. These figures reflect the scale of the humanitarian tragedy experienced by the residents of the Strip amid the continuation of military operations and the expansionist plans announced by the Israeli government.

The situation in the Gaza Strip remains prone to further escalation given the Netanyahu government's insistence on expanding ground operations and imposing long-term military control. Concerns are growing that these steps will undermine any future opportunities for calm or stability, amidst popular steadfastness and resistance that refuses to succumb to displacement and occupation plans.

Any attempt to impose a new reality in Gaza will be null and illegitimate, and Netanyahu's statements represent a dangerous escalation.