The German government is concerned about Israeli plans to take more of Gaza, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday, adding that Germany opposes a permanent division of the Palestinian territory. The Israeli military said Wednesday evening it had launched strikes in the northern Gaza Strip targeting two Hamas militants. 10 people were killed, including five children and an elderly person, as well as a Hamas militant. The strikes came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was expanding its control in Gaza. “Right now we are tightening the grip on Hamas," Netanyahu said Thursday at the Jordan Valley Conference in the occupied West Bank. “We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. You know that? We were at 50%, we moved to 60%." He said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel “tightening the grip" on Hamas "from every direction.”
