Yellow line' that divides Gaza under Trump plan is new border' for Israel, says military chief

"The yellow line that divides Gaza under Donald Trump's ceasefire plan is a new border for Israel, the country's military chief told soldiers deployed in the territory. The chief of the general staff, Eyal Zamir, said Israel would hold on to its current military positions. These give Israel control of more than half of Gaza, including most agricultural land and the border crossing with Egypt."

"'The yellow line' is a new border line, serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity, Zamir said during a visit to meet Israeli reservists in northern Gaza, where he also visited the ruins of the Palestinian towns of Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya. We have operational control over extensive parts of the Gaza Strip and we will remain on those defence lines, Zamir said, according to an English-language transcript of his remarks provided by a military spokesperson."

"Palestinians were forced out of this eastern portion of Gaza by Israeli attacks and evacuation orders. Almost all the surviving population, over 2 million people, are now crowded into a narrow zone of coastal sand dunes that is smaller than Washington DC. Zamir's commitment to keep troops in Gaza appears to contradict the ceasefire agreement signed in October, which specifies that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza. Trump's 20-point plan commits the Israeli military to progressively hand over Palestinian territory to an international security force (ISF) until they have withdrawn completely from Gaza, barring a small security perimeter by the border."

Israel's military chief described the 'yellow line' in Donald Trump's ceasefire plan as a new border and declared an intention to maintain current military positions in Gaza. Those positions provide Israel operational control over more than half of the territory, including most agricultural land and the Egypt border crossing. Large numbers of Palestinians were displaced from eastern Gaza by attacks and evacuation orders, concentrating over two million people into a narrow coastal zone. The military commitment to remain appears to conflict with a ceasefire clause that prohibits occupation or annexation, while the ceasefire ties withdrawal to Hamas demilitarisation without a clear mechanism or timeline.

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