Report: IDF limits fire despite Hamas activity near Yellow Line

Some troops say U.S. pressure is shaping Israel’s response to direct threats.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

IDF soldiers operating in Gaza are under strict restrictions on opening fire at Hamas operatives endangering them, with some troops claiming the limits stem from American demands, Ynet reported Monday.

There are daily attempts to test the permeability of the Yellow Line dividing the Israeli- and Hamas-held halves of the Gaza Strip, as well as extensive Hamas activity close to the line. However, soldiers say they are permitted only to relay information to intelligence units rather than act on it in real time.

“In practice, control over the Strip was ceded to the United States,” one reservist charged. “Without approval from the American command, you can’t do anything.”

An American-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) operates in Kiryat Gat, coordinating stabilization and relief efforts in Gaza and monitoring the cease-fire with Hamas.

However, AFP recently cited a diplomatic source saying a group linked to U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff wields greater influence than the CMCC.

“We do not open fire into the Strip except in cases involving a specific, identified suspect and only with approval from command and higher,” a reservist lieutenant colonel said.

This applies even when the soldiers observe Hamas operatives walking on their side of the line wearing bulletproof vests or planting explosive devices, he added, creating “frustration among troops,” though they “understand it’s the situation for now.”

Another reservist described how Hamas men “blend in with civilians, set up tents near the Yellow Line and try to establish [terrorist] infrastructure — it’s a known pattern of operation.”

In a separate report, Ynet cited an officer who said frequent news reports about the IDF killing infiltrators can be misleading.

“You only hear on the news about the few who cross the Yellow Line, and even then there are quite a few restrictions, despite attempts to create an image of free fire at suspects,” he said.

“Ground forces, such as infantry and armor, are authorized to shoot only if there is an immediate danger and an ongoing infiltration after warning shots have been fired,” he added.

At the same time, the IDF may be working through quieter means to frustrate Hamas, according to Gazan sources cited by Abu Ali Express, an Israeli channel that closely follows Arabic-language media.

Several times over the past few weeks, the channel has reported Gazan charges that under cover of night, IDF forces have stealthily shifted westward the large, yellow-painted concrete blocks marking the dividing line, effectively bringing additional territory under Israeli control.

On Monday, for example, Gaza sourced claimed that the blocks were moved at three locations in the Jabalia refugee camp.

“The Gazan internet users understand that in the yellow zones, the IDF is destroying every remaining standing structure, in effect disconnecting [the area] from the [terror] tunnels,” the channel said.