Israeli army launch strikes along Gaza’s yellow line

Israel’s military has reportedly launched airstrikes and targeted areas with tank fire along the so-called “yellow line” in Gaza, according to the Middle East Eye via Arab48 on December 24th.

Reports said the operation began on the morning of December 24th, with the yellow line representing areas of the Gaza Strip under Israeli control.

Under the US-backed ceasefire agreement which came into effect on October 10th, Israel was required to gradually withdraw its military from Gaza.

Since the ceasefire came into effect, at least 383 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza, with reports in November finding that Israel had breached the ceasefire terms almost 200 times.

Furthermore, concerns have been raised that the yellow line will lead to a de facto partition of Gaza amid reports that soldiers had been moving markers to make it harder for Palestinians to move freely.

It was reported on December 5th, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the removal of “extremism from the people of Gaza” if Hamas could not be dealt with.

Netanyahu has previously called for Hamas’ expulsion from Gaza in November, despite a poll finding that around 70% of Palestinians rejected the idea of disarming Hamas.

Many Palestinians viewed the disarmament of Hamas as a threat to their right to self-determination, a right which was widely recognised at the UN General Assembly in December 2024.

The US plan for Gaza also presented the idea of a so-called “Board of Peace” governing Gaza, where Palestinians would be left out of key governing roles.

Some have branded the plan as a colonial endeavour due to the apparent lack of Palestinian representation within the proposed government of Gaza.

Although Hamas has maintained power in Gaza since 2007, the international community does not recognise the group as a legitimate political party, despite some arguing that the exclusion of Hamas from Gaza’s government undermines the Palestinian population’s right to choose their representatives.

Gaza has been subjected to a land, sea and air blockade by Israel since 2007, which led to shortages of essential resources, such as electricity and food supplies.

In 2019, it was estimated that more than two-thirds of households in Gaza were food insecure, and the situation has deteriorated further amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 people since October 2023.

Middle East Eye via Arab48 and agencies, Maghrebi.org