Israel: war will continue for many months, three-quarters of the buffer zone in Egypt and Gaza
The Israeli army controls 75 percent of the buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza, National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi said. On the Palestinian side of this border, or in the Rafah area, there has been heavy fighting for weeks. Hanegbi expects the war in Gaza to last at least until the end of this year.

Israel started the controversial ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah by capturing the border crossing. It is clear that Israel controls the area around this border post. However, it is impossible to verify whether, as Hanegbi claims, the army actually has control over three-quarters of the 14-kilometer-long border strip. Data from think tank Institute for the Study of War indicate that an Israeli operation is underway in roughly 75 percent of the buffer zone.