Israeli military forces have expanded their territorial control inside Gaza to approximately 60% of the strip, up from around 49% when the latest ceasefire took effect in October 2025, according to Israeli security estimates cited by the Hebrew-language Walla news site. The army has done so by pushing the so-called "Yellow Line" — the boundary separating Israeli-controlled zones from areas where Palestinian civilians are permitted — steadily westward into residential areas, while Israeli military planners continue drafting contingency plans for a large-scale resumption of combat. Ceasefire talks have hit a dead end, complicated further by Israel's airstrike on 15 May 2026 that killed Ezzedine al-Haddad, a senior commander of Hamas's Qassam Brigades, along with seven other Palestinians in Gaza City's al-Rimal neighbourhood; Hamas has accused Israel of failing to honour core Phase One obligations, including agreed quantities of humanitarian aid, and is demanding the crossing openings and reconstruction access that were promised before any transition to a second phase of the deal.