How Does Israel Plan for a Long-Term Presence Along the Yellow Line?

SadaNews - The Israeli army has reinforced its presence along the ceasefire line inside Gaza, known as the "Yellow Line," by fortifying positions and establishing new infrastructure that divides the territory into two halves.

Along the line, which nearly divides Gaza in half according to Trump's plan to cease the war in Gaza, the army is operating existing observation points and setting up new ones, surrounded by barbed wire and sand berms.

For the first time on Tuesday, the Israeli army escorted journalists to see what is known as the "Yellow Line," which has separated Israeli areas from regions controlled by Hamas in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect earlier this month.

The American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" reported that the point visited by the journalists is located on elevated ground overlooking the destroyed Shuja'iyya neighborhood, separated from the devastation by sand berms the width of a vehicle road.

Israel is working on placing yellow concrete blocks to officially designate the line, but only 10 to 20 percent of this work has been completed, according to military officials.

Reinforcing the Israeli Presence at the "Yellow Line"

Israel is building water and electricity infrastructure on its side of the yellow line and plans to establish aid centers to serve Palestinians on both sides of the line, as part of a scheme to provide safe alternative areas for Palestinians should Hamas refuse to relinquish its weapons, according to Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner last week in Israel.

The "Yellow Line" provides Israel with an important option to create an alternative to Hamas inside Gaza, according to former Israeli National Security official Avner Golov and Vice President of a consulting group.

Golov stated, "This is one of the biggest achievements of this deal. Given the poor alternatives, we need to do something innovative."

Hundreds of Palestinians live on the Israeli side of the yellow line, including those who criticized Hamas during the war and fear retaliation.

"Line of Defense"

The Israeli army demanded during the ceasefire negotiations to have the advantage of elevated terrain along the yellow line, enabling it to safely protect the dividing line from a distance, according to the official.

He added that he believes the entire line is defensible, although in some parts in the center of Gaza it comes close to Israel's borders.

Estimates suggest that hundreds of Hamas operatives remain hidden in tunnels within the areas controlled by Israel, with the ability to communicate with their leadership.

The Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who approached the yellow line despite the exact location not being entirely clear.