India, May 28 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has directed the Israeli military to take control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, signalling a major escalation despite an ongoing fragile ceasefire with Hamas.

Speaking at a conference in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said Israeli forces already control around 60 percent of Gaza.

He added that Israeli forces had controlled around 50 per cent of Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, but said he had now ordered the military to expand that control further.

"My directive is to move to... 70 percent. We're squeezing them from all sides. We'll deal with what's left afterwards," he said.

Ceasefire stalled for months

The...