Map of Gaza shows where Israeli forces are positioned under ceasefire deal - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. Satellite images analyzed by a verification team show Israel maintains about 40 active military positions beyond the so-called yellow line, the invisible boundary set in the first phase of the ceasefire where troops were meant to pull back to under the agreement.
The images also indicate upgrades at several of these sites, which help Israel keep control of roughly 58 percent of Gaza even after the reported pullback to the yellow line.
Most positions are clustered in southern Gaza, but every governorate has at least one military point. Some are built on bases from earlier in the war and others are newly constructed.
One notable position in Gaza City sits atop al-Muntar Hill in the Shujayea neighbourhood; imagery from September 21 compared with October 14 shows paving and asphalting work at that base.
Despite the ceasefire taking effect around two weeks ago, nearly 100 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Israeli strikes across the Strip, with some incidents occurring near the yellow line.
On October 18, Israeli forces killed 11 members of the Abu Shaaban family in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City, Gaza’s Civil Defence says. Seven children and three women were among those killed when the military fired on the vehicle as the family tried to return home to check on it.
The Israeli military said soldiers fired at a “suspicious vehicle” that had crossed the so-called yellow line. Because the line has no physical markers, many families cannot tell where this invisible boundary lies. Israel’s Defence Minister later said the army will place visual signs to indicate the line’s location.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire, Israel still controls more than half of the Gaza Strip, and areas beyond the yellow line remain under military presence. This has prevented residents of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoon, parts of Shujayea, Tuffah, Zeitoun, most of Khan Younis, and all of Rafah City from returning home.
A 20-point plan announced by US and Israeli leaders on September 29 - developed without Palestinian input - outlines a three-phase withdrawal map. Even after the third phase, the territory Palestinians can access will be smaller than before the war, continuing a pattern of control over Gaza and its people.
Many questions remain: how the plan will be carried out, where exactly Palestinian boundaries will be drawn, the timing and scope of Israeli withdrawals, the role of Palestinian security forces, and the long-term consequences for Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The plan also says nothing about whether Israel will keep its aerial and maritime blockade of Gaza, which has been in place for about 18 years.
May Allah grant safety and ease to the affected families and guide a just resolution. Salam.
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