A dramatic escalation in the Middle East unfolded today as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defence Forces to expand military control over Gaza to 70 per cent of the territory. The move, described as a bid to crush remaining Hamas strongholds, has drawn an immediate call from Britain for a ceasefire.
The order was issued late last night in a televised address by Mr Netanyahu, who said the IDF would tighten its grip on the Strip, moving from current positions in the north and centre to seize large swaths of the south. This would mark the highest level of Israeli control since the 1967 occupation, with major implications for the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the enclave.
The British government responded swiftly. Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged both sides to halt hostilities, stressing the risk of a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe. “We are deeply concerned by the escalation,” Mr Lammy said in a statement. “The UK calls for an immediate ceasefire, unconditional release of hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all parts of Gaza.”
The development comes as the death toll in Gaza exceeds 35,000, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The expanded control is likely to deepen a crisis that has already displaced 1.5 million people into overcrowded shelters, where food, water and medicine are running out. The United Nations has warned of famine.
For British families watching from their living rooms, the news brings a familiar ache: the sense that war is both distant and intimate. Many in this country have loved ones in the region. The price of petrol at the pump has edged up again as global oil markets twitch at every headline. And there is a quiet worry about how this conflict might feed into rising tensions at home, where protests over Gaza have become a regular feature of city centre life.
Netanyahu’s order appears calculated to show strength, both to his domestic right-wing base and to a region watching closely. Iran has called for an emergency meeting of Muslim nations. The United States, while not overtly opposing the move, has stressed the need to protect civilians.
On the ground, reports from Gaza describe scenes of panic as families pack what they can into donkey carts and the back of trucks, fleeing south towards the dwindling safe zone around Rafah. Many have been displaced multiple times. “We are trapped,” one teacher told a reporter by phone. “There is nowhere left to go.”
The conflict, which began after Hamas attacks on October 7 killed 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 taken hostage, has already reshaped the Middle East. But this latest order may prove a watershed, testing the limits of international patience and the endurance of a population that has known little else but siege.
In Britain, the Prime Minister is under pressure from both wings of his party. Labour backbenchers have called for a tougher line, including halting arms sales to Israel, while some Tories argue for continued support for Israel’s right to self-defence. The ceasefire call by Mr Lammy may not satisfy either camp.
As the sun set over Gaza tonight, the sky was lit again by flares and the rumble of airstrikes. The price of bread in London did not go up today, but the weight of the news pressed down on every kitchen table.
Sarah Jenkins, Economy & Labour Reporter
