GAZA CITY — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that Israel now controls 60% of the Gaza Strip, up from 50% previously, during a conference in Jordan. He described the expansion as part of an ongoing effort to tighten Israel’s grip on Hamas.

"Right now we are tightening the grip on Hamas. We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. You know that? We were at 50%, we moved to 60%." Netanyahu said. He added, "We will deal with the remnants. But the most important thing is to continue leveraging our power, to increase it."

The remarks came as Israeli military operations continued in Gaza. The Israeli military said it had launched strikes in the northern Gaza Strip targeting two Hamas militants. Those strikes occurred on the first day of Eid al-Adha, a major Islamic holiday celebrated by millions of Muslims worldwide.

Earlier in the week, an Israeli strike killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed leader of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades. His predecessor had been killed less than two weeks before Odeh’s death.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, 16 people were killed and 39 others wounded across the Gaza Strip over the past 48 hours. The health ministry, which is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals whose records are generally viewed as reliable by the international community. Since a fragile ceasefire came into effect last October, the ministry reported that 922 people have been killed in Gaza and 2,786 others injured.

Netanyahu’s announcement marks the first time Israel has publicly quantified its territorial control in Gaza since the conflict intensified. The Israeli military has not released an official map or detailed breakdown of the areas under its control.