Israel expands its control of Gaza

0:00This message comes from IXL, providing an online learning environment intended to keep students' skills sharp over summer vacation. The platform covers core subjects and adapts to each child's pace. Receive 20 % off at IXL.com slash NPR. Today on State of the World, Israel expands its control of Gaza.

0:24You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories, up close, where they're happening. I'm Greg Dixon. The Gaza Strip has been split in half ever since the U.S. brokered ceasefire, which went into effect in October 2025. Israel's military occupies the east, and two million Palestinians are squeezed into the remaining half along Gaza's western coast. But in recent months, despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have been expanding their area of control, pushing deeper into Gaza. They now control at least 65 % of the territory. NPR's reporter in Gaza, Anas Baba, and NPR's correspondent in Dubai, Aya Batraoui, bring us this report on Israel's expanding line of control.

1:15On a small rickety table under a tent of worn-out tarps, four friends meet for a game of cards. They hold tight to this daily ritual that's played 400 yards from their neighborhood because it's a bit safer here. But each day, as the sun begins to set on the eastern Gaza City neighborhood of Ashujayya, the men return to their bombed-out homes and hunker down for the night.

1:44That's Abu Ahmad Hamid. He says you put your hand on your heart and pray to God once evening sets in. He says no one dares to venture out because of the intensity of Israeli shelling every night. He's one of a few dozen Palestinians still living in Ashujayya. It's a vast moonscape of rubble and destroyed buildings that was once a thriving neighborhood to more than 100 ,000 people before the war. Ashujaia now lies under Israeli control in a new so-called Orange Zone that accounts for 10 % of Gaza, running north to south. In maps shared with NPR, aid groups say the Israeli military designated this Orange Zone in March and restricted access to it.

2:24Residents of Ash-e-Jayia say aid groups have suspended operations here and ambulances need Israeli permission to enter. Israel's military did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Random bursts of Israeli tank fire can be heard even in broad daylight, as documented by NPR.

2:45In the Orange Zone, Israeli soldiers have erected military posts flanked by Israeli flags and tanks with an eyesight of Palestinians living in the area. NPR's Anas Baba describes what that's like in a Shajaya. This was one of the busiest neighborhoods in all over Gaza. But today, it's literally a goat city. There is no life. You can't even indicate if there is people are living here. Or even when they walk, I see them. They walk next to the destroyed houses because they are afraid from a bullet. They are afraid from an Israeli tank artillery. There are no markers on the ground indicating where the Orange Zone starts and ends.

3:25The UN says around 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the ceasefire just in areas of Gaza close to the military's shifting lines of control.

3:40Naveen al-Hattab says there's no life here. Everything is a struggle. The closest source of drinking water is a half-hour walk from a shajaya. There are no shops or clinics here either. Al-Hattab says her 27-year-old daughter was killed when the family was displaced in another neighborhood that's now off-limits and occupied by Israel. Her sister was killed in intense airstrikes on a shajaya. They're among the more than 73 ,000 people Gaza's health ministry says were killed in Israeli attacks in the war. We don't know how to live. We're in danger. There's no place to go. She says we don't know how to live and we're surrounded by danger.

4:17But there's nowhere else to go. Despite a ceasefire on the ground, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the military's push is part of a step-by-step plan to surround Hamas from all sides. We're now at 60 % of the border. You know what? We were in 50. We started to 60. The directive is to... He told an audience in late May that when the U.S.-backed ceasefire with Hamas began last year, Israel controlled half of Gaza, and then 60 percent.

4:50A man in the audience yells the next step should be 100 percent. Netanyahu responds, first 70 percent. Let's go for that. We're hitting them from every direction, he says. Satellite analysis by NPR last month, based on maps aid groups must now adhere to, indicates Israel is nearly there, with control of at least 65 % of Gaza. Aya Batrawi, NPR News Dubai, with reporting by Anas Baba in Gaza.

5:22That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening. 250 years ago, the nation's founders considered a free press a critical protection for we the people. Today, the NPR network proudly upholds your First Amendment rights with reporting accountable only to you. It's something we protect together. Join the people who power the NPR network by showing your support at plus.npr.org. President Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is over. This week on Consider This, a former high-ranking U.S. diplomat shares his thoughts on what could happen next. The rulers in Tehran clearly believe they have a stronger will than the United States.

6:05I don't think there are any good options. That's this week on Consider This. You can get the full story behind the headlines every afternoon. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.