What’s behind Israel’s new plan to divide Gaza in two
Palestinians walk among the ruins of their homes in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood in southern Gaza, 17 October 2025
Muhammad Shehada writes in Mondoweiss on 31 October 2025:
Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect, the Trump administration has been hailing the beginning of a new chapter in Gaza. “After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” the president declared during his speech at the Knesset earlier this month. But facts on the ground reveal a dramatically grimmer reality and shed light on Israel’s new plan for the enclave’s permanent subjugation.
With the so-called “Yellow Line,” Israel has divided the Strip in two: West Gaza, encompassing 42 percent of the enclave, where Hamas remains in control and over 2 million people are crammed in; and East Gaza, encompassing 58 percent of the territory, which has been fully depopulated of civilians and is controlled by the Israeli army and four proxy gangs.
Under the Trump plan, this line was intended as a temporary marker — the first stage in Israel’s gradual withdrawal from the Strip as an International Stabilization Force assumed control on the ground. Instead, Israeli forces are digging in, reinforcing the division with earthworks, fortifications, and barriers that suggest a move toward permanence.
West Gaza is coming to resemble southern Lebanon, which the Israeli army has continued to bomb periodically after signing a ceasefire with Hezbollah last November. Since the start of the truce in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes, drone strikes, and machine gun fire have continued to pummel the population on a daily basis, usually under the unsubstantiated pretext of “foiling an imminent attack,” retaliating for alleged assaults on Israeli soldiers, or targeting individuals who approach the Yellow Line. So far, these assaults have killed over 200 Palestinians, including dozens of children.