IDF Chief: "Gaza Withdrawal Line 'Yellow Line' Is the New Border"

IDF Chief of Staff Makes Statement After Inspection

Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is entering the Israeli Parliament located in Jerusalem on October 13 (local time). Photo by AP News Agency

Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), referred to the troop withdrawal line drawn as part of the Gaza Strip ceasefire, known as the "Yellow Line," as the "new border" on December 7 (local time).

According to the Israeli media outlet The Jerusalem Post, which cited a military announcement, Zamir made this statement after inspecting Beit Hanoun and Jabalia in northern Gaza with the Southern Command, the commander of the 242nd Division, and the commander of the 2nd Brigade, declaring, "We will not allow Hamas to regain power."

Chief of Staff Zamir stated, "We maintain operational control over large areas of the Gaza Strip," adding, "We will uphold this defensive line."

He further emphasized, "The Yellow Line is the new border," and stated, "It will serve as the front-line defense for our communities and as the line of operational activity."

In October, following U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza peace initiative, the Israeli military agreed to a ceasefire with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and withdrew its forces from the positions it had occupied at that time back to the Yellow Line.

The Yellow Line connects points several kilometers further inside the Gaza Strip than the "Green Line," which was established as a boundary after the outbreak of the Third Middle East War in 1967.

Zamir also stated that the mission in Gaza "will not be over until the remains of Ran Gvili, the last hostage, are returned."

Ran Gvili was an Israeli police officer who was killed in action during clashes with Hamas. The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, announced on October 10, was nearing completion as Hamas returned 27 of the 28 bodies it had agreed to hand over to Israel, leaving only Gvili's remains still in the Gaza Strip.