Israel Seizes 1,000 Square Kilometers Across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria

The Cabinet of Israel has seized approximately 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria since 2023, marking its largest expansion of militarily occupied land in decades. Israel designates these areas as buffer zones to prevent future militant attacks and has indicated plans to maintain control indefinitely.

In Gaza, military control now exceeds 60% of the strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that this level of control will increase to 70%. In Lebanon, Israel occupies 608 square kilometers (234 square miles) following a ground invasion in early 2026, displacing 1.2 million people. The Israel Defense Forces recently released a map detailing a security zone extending 10 kilometers into Southern Lebanon, including towns such as Bint Jbeil and Beit Lif. In Syria, Israel occupied 235 square kilometers (91 square miles) of a U.N. buffer zone in December 2024 after the downfall of President Bashar Assad.

Parallel to these seizures, the Israeli government has approved 47 new settlements and expanded 55 others in the West Bank since 2022. Collectively, these actions have displaced over 3 million people in Gaza and Lebanon. The United Nations and neighboring governments have condemned the seizures as violations of international law and the 1974 ceasefire agreement regarding the Syrian buffer zone.