On June 2, US Secretary of State Rubio stated that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s proposal for the Israeli military to control 70% of the Gaza Strip contradicts the US stance.
Speaking at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee in the US Congress that afternoon, Rubio said Netanyahu’s plan is not part of President Trump’s “20-point plan” to end the Gaza conflict. According to the “20-point plan,” Israel does not need to do that.
He also noted that the US and Israeli goals are aligned in the end, which is to have the Gaza Strip governed by an entity that is not Hamas.
According to the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025, Israel controls 53% of the Gaza Strip. On May 17, Netanyahu said that Israel has been expanding its control over the Gaza Strip and currently controls about 60% of the area. On May 28, Netanyahu announced that he had ordered the expansion of control to about 70%. Hamas accused this move of blatantly violating the ceasefire agreement.
