New Delhi, May 28 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (local time) said that he has ordered the country's military to take over 70 per cent of Gaza's territory.

He made these remarks during an interview at a conference in the occupied West Bank, adding that Tel Aviv is "tightening" its grip on Hamas, CNN reported.

Netanyahu said, "We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. We were at 50%; we moved to 60%," and added, "My directive is to move to - take it step by step - first of all, 70. Let's start with that." As Netanyahu spoke, the audience called for him to take over all of Gaza's territory.

Additionally, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in April, issued maps to international aid groups which showed t...