What is the "yellow line" that marks the first phase of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza?
This week, Israel has killed more than 20 Gazatis who have crossed that imaginary (and unholy) line, when they were all trying to return home.
The withdrawal line, depending on the phases. The outer part of each area marks the boundary. Author: EITB.
At the beginningof the truce in the Gaza Strip a week ago, as stated in the signed agreement, the Israeli Army was forced to retreat to the so-called "yellow line" , an area behind which Israeli troops remain, and since then have often attacked villagers bordering the area.
This week, more than 20 Gazatis have been killed by Israel, according to the Gazatis' health authorities, with the intention of returning home. The army claims that these people crossed that imaginary and unmarked "line."
According to the agreement signed between Hamas and Israel, the ceasefire covers the entire Gaza Strip, and in the first phase, the Israeli Army has been forced to withdraw to a perimeter known as the "yellow line", which does not mean that the ceasefire is not even in place.
What's the yellow line?
The "yellow line" is theimaginary boundary that defines the area where the Israeli Army was to retreat from Gaza in the first of the three phases agreed in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The perimeter between this line and the Israeli-Gaza border is under Israeli control and comprises just over 50% of the Strip.
For this reason there are nations outside this line to which the Gazatis cannot yet return, because of the danger of being attacked by the Israeli army, such as Beit Hanoun (north) or Rafah (south).
According to a map released by US President Donald Trump in announcing the agreement, the military zone between the yellow line and the Strip and the Israeli-Israeli border is 1.5 km wide on the narrowest side and 6.5 km wide (covering the southern city of Rafah).
That scale map doesn't specify any specific references on the surface.
Lack of signage
The yellow line has never been marked for the population, so many Gazatis have been guided by mouth-to-mouth information or by checking whether they have tanks in sight to try to figure out where the line might be.
"We only move in the areas where we live. If I want to know if a place is dangerous, I ask people, has anyone been there in the last few hours? It's a dangerous situation. It's the neighbors who tell us what's really going on," explains Mohamed Badaui, a neighbour of the Zeitun district of the capital.
This Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the army is signalling that imaginary border on Palestinian territory so that the population can know.
Development of the withdrawal of Israel
In the second phase of the withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, troops will have to retreat to a new line, the so-called "red line" , reducing the perimeter under the control of the army to around 40% of the territory of Gaza.
The transition to this second phase will take place when the International Stabilisation Forces enter Gaza, one of the points agreed in the ceasefire agreement. This stabilization force will be the one to monitor security in the area and then train the Gaza Police.
However, it has not been announced when the Stabilisation Force will enter Gaza.
The third phaseof the withdrawal would be the withdrawal of the Israeli Army to the "security perimeter", occupying about 15% of the land of Gaza. It would pass along the border between the Strip and Israel, where soldiers would be stationed indefinitely. This perimeter includes the essential points of dire for Gaza, such as the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border.
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