Shejaiya, Feb 10 (.) Israel is not expected to withdraw its troops from Gaza or approve reconstruction in the devastated enclave until Hamas disarms, leaving the ceasefire agreement effectively stalled and its future uncertain.
Israeli forces currently control about 53% of the Gaza Strip, according to military estimates, with the remaining 47% home to most of the territory’s roughly two million residents and under what Israel describes as Hamas’s de facto authority.
Israeli officials have stated that the lack of progress on disarmament has frozen both military redeployments and plans for rebuilding civilian infrastructure.
During a visit on Monday to a forward Israeli outpost in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighbourhood, commanders told The Times of Israel that Hamas fighters continue to probe Israeli positions by attempting to cross the ceasefire boundary, known to the military as the Yellow Line.
One such incident last week left a reservist officer seriously wounded after Palestinian gunmen opened fire on troops operating close to the line. The Israeli military responded with a series of strikes against Hamas targets in the area.
“No one is allowed to cross the Yellow Line. Whoever crosses is destroyed or eliminated at that moment,” a battalion commander from the Alexandroni Reserve Infantry Brigade said during the visit.
Despite the attack, reservist soldiers stationed at the outpost appear relatively calm, with officers noting that most recent confrontations had occurred closer to the ceasefire boundary rather than at the base itself, which lies several hundred metres east of the line.
From the position, soldiers looked out over a landscape of extensive destruction stretching toward Gaza City, with deeper parts of the Strip marked by shattered but still-standing buildings.
The Yellow Line, demarcated by bright yellow concrete blocks placed amid the ruins, was obscured by poor weather during the visit.
IDF commanders have said that Hamas officials have at times pushed civilians toward the boundary in an apparent attempt to test the Israeli rules of engagement.
“They know that we don’t shoot at women and children, even those who are unarmed,” the battalion commander said. “If they don’t pose a threat, they won’t die. So, Hamas is trying to take advantage of that,” he said.
Highlighting the IDF’s official position, he said “A terrorist who crosses the Yellow Line will die. Will we kill children? Of course we won’t. But no one is [crossing the Yellow Line] for no reason.”
Inside areas held by the IDF, troops are continuing their work in trying to dismantle Hamas’s massive underground tunnel network, though the sheer extent of the underground grid has caused soldiers to describe it as a seemingly endless one.
Despite round-the-clock work, the military estimates that currently, at least 60% of Hamas’s tunnels remain intact, with officials acknowledging that this figure was likely to be higher because the full extent of the network is unknown.
“We have defensive lines that we are deployed along,” the commander said, adding that he was not overly concerned by the number of tunnels still in existence. “We are here to monitor anyone advancing on the ground or underground.”
Since the ceasefire took effect in October, the IDF says it has killed dozens of Hamas operatives and other suspects who crossed the Yellow Line and approached Israeli troops.
Military officials have said that such incidents have become an almost daily occurrence, underscoring how fragile the truce remains as long as the core issue of Hamas’s disarmament is unresolved, with both sides keeping their fingers on the trigger. . . .