Israel pushes to retain 1-mile buffer zone in Gaza under ceasefire deal – report

Qatari media outlet claims Israel is pushing for ceasefire deal to recognize Israeli control of a one-mile buffer zone along the Gaza frontier even after IDF forces are withdrawn from most of the Gaza Strip.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is looking to cement its control over an expanded buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip as part of a proposed ceasefire deal and hostage release, according to an Arabic news report.

On Monday morning, the London-based, Qatar-owned Al-Quds Al-Arabi outlet reported that Israel’s negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, has informed the Egyptian and Qatari brokers mediating talks between Jerusalem and Hamas that the IDF intends to retain long-term control over an expanded buffer zone running along the Israel-Gaza frontier, on the Gazan side of the border.

Prior to the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023, the IDF had declared a 300-meter (0.186 mile) no-man’s land along the border. While the IDF maintained no permanent presence in the buffer zone, it warned Gazans that entering the no-man’s land would be treated as a hostile move and could result in live fire from Israeli forces.

Following the invasion, Israel began work on an expanded buffer zone, demolishing buildings along the Gaza-side of the border and creating a roughly 1.5-kilometer (0.93 mile) sterile zone.

According to Monday’s report, Israel has informed meditators that it intends to maintain an armed presence in the new buffer zone.

The report also claimed that the two sides have largely agreed upon the dimensions of Israel’s withdrawal from parts of the Gaza Strip during the first and second phases of a three-phase ceasefire.

The United States has expressed cautious optimism regarding the prospects for a deal in the near future, though Hamas has yet to disclose how many hostages are still alive – a key figure necessary for determining the final number of jailed Palestinian terrorists Israel will release as part of an agreement.

The two sides also have yet to agree upon which terrorists will be permitted to return home and which will be required to live in exile abroad.

The IDF’s control over key strategic areas inside the Gaza Strip after the third and final phase of a ceasefire is another contested issue yet to be resolved.