Warnings of a New 'Berlin Wall' in Gaza: The Yellow Line Threatens Comprehensive Truce Agreement and Risks Permanent Division

Israeli leaks regarding a plan to reconstruct Palestinian cities within the Gaza Strip, particularly in the area controlled by the Israeli army behind what has become known as the "Yellow Line," have raised numerous concerns. These developments have revived widespread international and Egyptian fears that this line could become the starting point for transforming the Strip into two separate entities, thereby threatening the trajectory of the comprehensive truce agreement signed in Sharm El Sheikh.

Premeditated Intent to Obstruct Phase Two

Egyptian military and diplomatic warnings have hinted at a premeditated Israeli intention to solidify this temporary military status and turn the "Yellow Line" into the "Berlin Wall" of the 21st century. In this context, Major General Osama Mahmoud, a lecturer at the Command and Staff College, explained that Israel is clearly seeking to obstruct the second phase of the "Trump Peace Plan" signed in Sharm El Sheikh on October 13.

Major General Mahmoud emphasized several key points revealing Israeli tactics:

• Ambiguity of Demarcation: He confirmed that the "Yellow Line," to which Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw in the first phase of the agreement, was not precisely defined on the ground, lacking fixed landmarks or clear geographical coordinates.

• Specious Pretexts: He considered "repeated Israeli violations of the agreement, the inability to hand over remains, and the crisis of stranded Hamas fighters" to be merely pretexts aimed essentially at prolonging the stay of Israeli forces in the Strip and cementing their military presence along this vague line.

• The Final Goal: The General warned that Tel Aviv's ultimate objective is to "accustom regional and international public opinion to the name of this line, and constantly solidify the discourse about its existence, paving the way for its transformation into a permanent buffer wall dividing the Strip."

De Facto Division and Conditional Reconstruction

For his part, former Egyptian Ambassador to Israel, Atef Salem, warned against the Yellow Line, pointing out that numerous indicators suggest a de facto division of Gaza into two zones: one under Israeli control, and the other controlled by Hamas.

Salem referred to statements by US Vice President Vance and Jared Kushner, which indicate that the reconstruction process will be limited to the area under Israeli control, even if the transition to the second phase of the agreement does not occur.

He also noted that the reconstruction plan lacks clear timelines and perpetually links the rebuilding process, vaguely, to the disarmament of Hamas. Further supporting the division scenario, Ambassador Salem pointed out that Israel has already placed "concrete blocks as a barrier" at the Yellow Line inside Gaza, reinforcing the idea of an unofficial border demarcation.

Obstacles to the International Force and Freezing the Agreement

Salem also highlighted the current dilemma regarding the naming of participating countries in the International Security Force (ISF), which is intended to supervise disarmament and reconstruction. He revealed that continuous Israeli obstacles, including the "veto" on specific nationalities participating in the temporary international force, will keep the agreement's implementation file in a worrying state of freeze, leaving the door open for the scenario of a new separation wall in Gaza.

European officials told Reuters last week that if there is no significant shift in the positions of Hamas or Israel, or US pressure on Tel Aviv to accept a role for the Palestinian Authority and the path to a Palestinian state, they do not expect the Trump plan to advance beyond a ceasefire. They warned last week that, absent any major US effort to break the deadlock, the Yellow Line appears poised to become the de facto border indefinitely dividing Gaza.