Israeli Military Commander Sets New Border Lines In Gaza, Hamas: Not Complying With Ceasefire

Israeli soldiers from the Nahal Brigade in southern Gaza. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group has denounced the claim of a line of withdrawal of Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip as a new border, saying it was a form of Israeli non-compliance with the ceasefire agreement.

The first phase of the Hamas and Israeli ceasefire agreement last October set the return of Israeli troops to the back of the yellow line in the Gaza Strip, a boundary marked above ground in several places with a yellow concrete block.

However, Israeli Chief of Staff Defense Forces (IDF) Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir claims the line is a new border in the Gaza Strip.

"The statement clearly demonstrates the non-compliance of criminal occupation of the ceasefire agreement," senior Hamas official Hossam Badran said Tuesday, responding to comments by the Israeli Military Commander, reported by Xinhua (10/12).

Badran added that the demolition of Palestinian homes continued by Israeli soldiers on the "yellow line" was a continuation of a military operation that should have been halted on the first day of the agreement, saying such abuses "still going on without any real commitment."

As previously reported, the IDF Chief of Staff when they met its troops in northern Gaza on Sunday said the so-called "yellow line" was a new border, a front line for Israel's border community and also an attack line.

The yellow line represents the division of new territory in the Gaza Strip and extends between 1.5 and 6.5 kilometers to coastal areas. Thus, Israel controls slightly more than half of Gaza's territory, where more than 2 million Palestinians live.

Before the new border was set, the Gaza Strip had a length of about 41 kilometers and a width of between 6 and 12 kilometers.