Israel seized more land from neighbors since 2023 than it has in decades

Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of swaths of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria that amount to its biggest expansion of militarily occupied lands in decades.

It is an area larger than many major cities — roughly 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) — and Israel has said it plans to stay indefinitely.

The land seizures began in the aftermath of Hamas’ 2023 cross-border attack, which ignited wars on multiple fronts. The Israeli military took over large portions of Gaza as part of a broad invasion, and later seized control of chunks of Lebanon and Syria. Israel calls these areas “buffer zones” and says they are needed to prevent future attacks by militant groups.

In Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli land seizures and evacuation warnings have pushed out more than 3 million people, and troops have demolished towns and neighborhoods, creating large depopulated zones.

The “buffer zones” — equivalent to roughly 5% of Israel’s area soon after its founding — are not new borders, which require an agreement between two countries. But many fear these changes could become long-lasting. Iran has made Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon a condition for ending its war with the U.S.

Since its founding in 1948, Israel has never had clear borders. Its boundaries have shifted through wars, annexations, ceasefires and peace agreements.

Israel and Hezbollah have fought multiple wars since the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group was formed in 1982. Their latest began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired into Israel in solidarity with its Iranian allies.

Israel launched a ground invasion into Lebanon in late March. Evacuation warnings, some stretching beyond the areas under its control, have forced about 1.2 million Lebanese to flee. Unlike previous occupations of southern Lebanon, Israel has warned civilians against returning. Several villages along the border have been largely demolished.

Hezbollah, while continuing to fire on northern Israel, has condemned Israel's presence inside Lebanon, and the Lebanese government has called for Israel to withdraw.

Israel now holds 608 square kilometers (234 square miles) in Lebanon, according to experts with the Carnegie Middle East Center.

Almost the entire population of Gaza, more than 2 million people, has been squeezed into vast, squalid tent cities dependent on international aid. The military has bulldozed or demolished wide swaths of the zone, and the area, where most of Gaza’s agricultural land lies, is inaccessible to Palestinians.

Israeli forces are meant to complete a fuller withdrawal under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. But the U.S.-backed diplomat overseeing the truce says progress is deadlocked over the central sticking point of disarming Hamas.

The exact location of Israel’s yellow line is ambiguous. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants Israel to take control of 70% of Gaza.

Israel now controls 194 square kilometers (75 square miles) in Gaza, according to Israeli rights group Gisha.

After the surprise downfall of Assad, Israel said it was concerned that Syrian rebels could attack Israel. It also saw an opportunity to disrupt Iran’s ability to smuggle weapons through Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The U.N. and other critics say the seizure of the buffer zone in Syria violates a 1974 ceasefire agreement. Civilians in the area now under Israeli control have not been instructed to evacuate but have faced checkpoints and tension, with occasional clashes between Israeli soldiers and villagers.

There have been no cross-border attacks from Syria into Israel since the 2024 fall of Assad, except for two rockets from a little-known militant group.

Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has called on Israel to withdraw from the area that the U.N. says is 235 square kilometers (91 square miles).

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have also been displaced from their homes in the West Bank due to expanded Israeli military operations since the war began.

Some of the new settlements approved recently are retroactive legalizations of tiny outposts, while others are neighborhoods of existing settlements.

The precipitous growth of settlements stems from settler leaders and supporters holding key positions in Israel’s government and a U.S. administration that is largely pro-settlement.

The international community considers them illegal. The expanded settlements have put enormous restrictions on the daily lives of Palestinians, who view them as the main barrier to a lasting peace agreement because they are built on lands they seek for a future state.