‘Yellow line’ that divides Gaza under Trump plan is ‘new border’ for Israel, says military chief | Gaza
The country’s chief of staff told soldiers serving in the region that the “yellow line” dividing Gaza under Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan is a “new border” for Israel.
Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir said that Israel will maintain its current military positions. These give Israel control of more than half of Gaza, including most farmland and the border crossing with Egypt.
“The ‘yellow line’ is a new border line that serves as a forward line of defense and operational line of action for our societies,” Zamir said during a visit to meet Israeli reservists in northern Gaza, while also visiting the ruins of the Palestinian towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya.
“We have operational control over a large part of the Gaza Strip and we will remain within those defensive lines,” Zamir said, according to remarks made available in English by a military spokesman.
Palestinians have been forced out of this eastern part of Gaza due to Israeli attacks and evacuation orders. Nearly the entire surviving population, more than 2 million people, is concentrated in a narrow region of coastal dunes that is now smaller than Washington, DC.
Zamir’s commitment to keep his troops in Gaza appears to contradict the ceasefire agreement signed in October, which stated that “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.”
Trump’s 20-point plan commits the Israeli army to “gradually hand over Palestinian territory to the international security force (ISF)” until it “completely withdraws from Gaza” by establishing a small security perimeter on the border.
The Israeli government declined to comment on whether Zamir’s statement reflected official policy. An official said Israeli forces were “deployed in Gaza in accordance with the draft ceasefire” and accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreement links the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the disarmament of Hamas, without specifying a mechanism or time frame for this to happen.
A UN resolution adopted last month authorized the establishment of the ISF, but no country has yet deployed troops to sustain it. Some have expressed interest in joining the peacekeeping force, but despite pressure from the Trump administration, none want to risk their soldiers being ordered to fight Hamas.
The Israeli army has built new concrete outposts along the “yellow line” to reinforce its positions, declaring it a deadly border, although it is not always clearly marked and a ceasefire does not exist. Soldiers have repeatedly killed Palestinians, including young children, whom they accused of crossing the border.
Concrete poles laid to mark parts of the line were also used to expand Israel’s military occupation of Gaza. Satellite images show some signs placed hundreds of meters away beyond An agreement was reached on border ceasefire maps.
The US military is also planning a long-term division of Gaza along the “yellow line”; A US official described reunification as “enthusiastic”.
Documents viewed by the Guardian predict that the area will be divided into a “green zone” under Israeli and international military control, where reconstruction will begin, and a “red zone” that will be left in ruins indefinitely.
