 "'Yellow line' under Trump's peace plan is new border: Israel military chief")
Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir has told soldiers that the "yellow line" that divides Gaza under US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan is a "new border" for Israel, The Guardian reported.
Zamir, who is the chief of the general staff, said the country would hold onto its current military positions, adding that those positions give it control of more than half of Gaza, including most of its agricultural land and the border crossing with Egypt.
He further said the "yellow line" was a new boundary that would serve as a forward defensive line for Israeli communities and defines the military's operational zone. He made these remarks during a visit to 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 was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
According to the report, Zamir's commitment to keep troops in Gaza seems to contradict the ceasefire agreement signed in October, which stated that “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza”.
Israeli attacks and evacuation orders pushed Palestinians out of eastern Gaza. Most of those who remain, more than two million people, are now packed into a narrow coastal strip of dunes, an area smaller than Washington.
While the Israeli government did not clarify whether Zamir's remarks reflected official policy, an official said that the forces were “deployed in Gaza in accordance with the ceasefire outline” and accused Hamas of violating the agreement.
Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan
According to the peace plan proposed by Trump, the Israeli military would "progressively hand over" Palestinian territory to an international security force, leading to a “complete” withdrawal from Gaza, apart from a small security perimeter along the border.
The ceasefire agreement ties any Israeli pullback to the demilitarisation of Hamas, without specifying how that would be achieved or setting a deadline.
A United Nations resolution was adopted last month that authorised the creation of an international security force; however, no country has pledged troops to establish it so far. While some states have signalled interest in a peacekeeping role, officials say they are unwilling to put forces in a position where they could be drawn into fighting Hamas, despite pressure from the Trump administration.
The Israeli military has constructed new concrete outposts along the so-called “yellow line” to reinforce its positions and has treated the area as a lethal boundary, despite the ceasefire. The line is not consistently marked on the ground, and troops have repeatedly shot Palestinians accused of crossing it, including children.
Concrete bollards installed to indicate parts of the route have also, according to satellite imagery, been used to extend Israel’s footprint. Some markers appear to have been placed hundreds of metres beyond the boundary shown on ceasefire maps, the report said.