The latest ceasefire agreement in Gaza was presented as a temporary arrangement meant to reduce violence, enable humanitarian access, and set in motion a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces. Instead, the first phase has left Israel occupying more than half of the Gaza Strip, while nearly 2 million Palestinians are trapped in roughly 60 square miles of territory, most of them displaced and living in makeshift structures. New comments from Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir now suggest that the temporary boundary created by the ceasefire may be solidifying into something far more permanent.
Under the terms signed in early October, Israel was required to pull its forces back behind what negotiators called a “yellow line.” The line was introduced as a transitional demarcation. Later phases of the ceasefire call for Israel to withdraw entirely from Gaza, an “International Stabilization Force” to take interim control, and eventual restoration of Palestinian governance, with only a security buffer zone between the areas under Israeli control and the rest of the strip.
But as Zamir addressed troops inside Gaza on Sunday, he described the yellow line not as a temporary tactical position, but as a fixed territorial boundary. “We have operational control over extensive parts of the Gaza Strip and we will remain on those defense lines,” he told soldiers. He went on to say, “The yellow line is a new border line, serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity.”
The remarks immediately raised alarms among Palestinian leaders, human rights advocates, and analysts who have warned since October that Israel may seek to permanently absorb the territory behind the yellow line. Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, said the comments revealed “dangerous Israeli intentions of annexing 53% of the little Gaza Strip, and to prevent reconstruction of what Israel destroyed in Gaza.” He noted that Zamir’s reference to a “new border” cannot be reconciled with a ceasefire agreement that binds Israel to eventual withdrawal.
The interpretation was reinforced by a recent report from the Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, which revealed new details about a United States led proposal to resettle Palestinians into highly controlled, densely packed “cities” constructed from prefabricated containers. These encampments would sit on the Israeli controlled side of the yellow line, and Palestinians living there would not be permitted to leave without permission from Israeli authorities. The organization compared the proposal to “the historical model of ghettos,” warning that it would create a system of confinement distinct from temporary displacement.
Zamir’s comments also came on the same day that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled continued interest in annexation in the West Bank. Speaking alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that Israel’s annexation of the West Bank “remains a subject to be discussed.” He reiterated his longstanding rejection of Palestinian statehood, saying that Israel will retain “full security control from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean” and that “The goal of a Palestinian state is to destroy the only Jewish state. They already had a state in Gaza, a de facto state, and it was used to try to destroy the only Jewish state.” His remarks, paired with Zamir’s framing of the new “border line,” underscore growing fears that Israel intends to formalize new territorial realities created under the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue operating inside Gaza despite the so called truce. Palestinian authorities have accused Israel of violating the agreement hundreds of times, including by conducting targeted strikes. According to the United Nations, at least 360 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began on October 10, and 70 of them have been children. The IDF frequently says those killed were Palestinians who crossed the yellow line. But Haaretz reported that “In many cases, the line Israel drew on the maps is not marked on the ground” and that the IDF’s standing policy is that “Anyone who approaches the forbidden area is shot immediately, even when they are children.”
That policy came under renewed scrutiny after reports on Sunday that Israeli forces shot a 3 year old girl, Ahed al Bayok, in the coastal area of Mawasi near Khan Younis on the Hamas controlled side of the yellow line. Within the same hour, the IDF released a statement claiming troops “identified a terrorist who crossed the yellow line and approached the troops, posing an immediate threat to them. Following the identification, the troops eliminated the terrorist.” It is not confirmed whether the statement referred to the child, though the IDF has used similar language to describe past shootings of an 8 year old and an 11 year old.
Humanitarian access has also been hindered. Under the ceasefire, the Rafah Crossing is required to allow aid into Gaza “without interference.” Until recently, Israel refused to open Rafah, then agreed to do so only to facilitate the exit of Palestinians from Gaza. The move triggered strong regional opposition. Eight Arab governments issued a joint statement expressing their “complete rejection of any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.”
These developments come as the ceasefire enters its second phase. United States President Donald Trump and Netanyahu plan to press for full demilitarization of Hamas, which Israel has declared a prerequisite for full withdrawal. But Qatari Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani cautioned that a durable truce will depend on Israel meeting its obligations. “Now we are at the critical moment,” he said at a conference in Doha. “A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces [and] there is stability back in Gaza.”
Israel, however, appears to be deepening its territorial entrenchment. Beyond Gaza, Israeli military operations continue along the northern border. The IDF said on Monday that it struck Hezbollah “infrastructure targets” in southern Lebanon, including a facility used for training, as well as “military structures and a launch site belonging to Hezbollah.” The IDF said these actions were taken in response to the group’s alleged violations of existing understandings.
Inside Jerusalem, the Israeli police raided the headquarters of UNRWA, the UN agency serving Palestinian refugees. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said that Israeli authorities seized IT equipment and removed the UN flag, replacing it with an Israeli flag. He called the action “a blatant disregard of Israel’s obligation as a United Nations Member State to protect & respect the inviolability of UN premises.” Israeli police representatives said the raid was part of a municipal debt collection process, with officers present to secure the operation.
Taken together, Zamir’s comments, Netanyahu’s public positions, ongoing military activity, restrictions on humanitarian access, and emerging plans for long term Palestinian displacement point to a deeper shift in the political landscape. A ceasefire that was supposed to be temporary is now being invoked to redefine the territorial map. A line once described as a transitional demarcation is being treated by Israel’s military leadership as a new national border. And nearly 2 million Palestinians remain penned behind that line, unable to rebuild and facing uncertainty about whether they will ever return to their homes.
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