by JNS Staff
Engineering teams have begun surveying and clearing designated sites, though construction has not yet started.
The United States is moving forward with plans to establish new communities for Gazans on the Israeli-controlled side of the line dividing the Strip, part of an effort to draw civilians away from Hamas-run areas.
U.S. officials say engineering teams have begun surveying and clearing designated sites, though construction has not yet started, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 21.
Gaza has been split roughly in half since the Trump-brokered ceasefire in October. Hamas still controls the western part, where most Gazans live, while Israel maintains control over an area east of the “Yellow Line,” a demarcation line to which Israel withdrew under the ceasefire.
At the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), a body established as part of the ceasefire and headquartered in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, the U.S. military is leading a multinational initiative, including representatives from some 40 countries, to stabilize postwar Gaza and develop a longer-term framework for governance and reconstruction.
As part of that effort, U.S. engineers are drafting plans for temporary towns intended to provide housing, schools and hospitals for Gazans displaced by the war, the Journal reported.
The U.S. is doing this in coordination with Israel, whose military is setting up electrical and water infrastructure to support Gazan towns on its side of the line.
According to U.S. officials, the proposed communities are envisioned as early models for broader reconstruction and are aimed at encouraging movement of civilians away from Hamas-controlled areas while longer-term rebuilding plans take shape.
The first of the planned communities is expected to be built in Rafah on the Egyptian border. The plan for Rafah remains in its initial phase, according to Israeli and U.S. officials.
The initiative reflects a “tacit acknowledgment” that disarming Hamas and removing it from power, as outlined in U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, is unlikely to occur in the near term, the Journal reported.
To maintain momentum on the ground, the U.S. is preparing “alternative safe communities” within areas of Gaza under Israeli control, known to American officials as the green zone, according to U.S., Israeli and Arab officials.
While the ceasefire is holding in the main, it is one punctuated by violence. Following repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) targeted Hamas terrorists in precision strikes across the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Terrorist Alaa’ Haddadeh was one of those eliminated. He served as the head of supply in Hamas’s Production Headquarters, the IDF said. During the war, he transferred weapons from Hamas’s headquarters to battalion and field commanders for use against IDF troops.
“Today, Hamas violated the ceasefire again, sending a terrorist into Israel held territory to attack IDF soldiers. In response, Israel eliminated five senior Hamas terrorists,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated on Saturday.
Prime Minister's Office:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 22, 2025
Today, Hamas violated the ceasefire again, sending a terrorist into Israel held territory to attack IDF soldiers. In response, Israel eliminated five senior Hamas terrorists.
Israel’s military said Friday that 17 terrorists emerged from underground tunnels on its side of the Yellow Line in Rafah.
“At the end of a 24-hour pursuit, all 17 terrorists who attempted to flee the underground terror infrastructure in eastern Rafah were either eliminated or apprehended,” the IDF said.
On Thursday, two terrorists were identified crossing the Yellow Line and approaching IDF troops in the southern Gaza Strip. IDF troops fired on them, reporting one hit.
Also on Thursday, IDF Kfir Infantry Brigade troops operating in the Gaza Strip identified an eight-tube rocket launcher with four rockets aimed toward Israeli territory.
And on Wednesday, several terrorists opened fire toward an area where IDF soldiers were operating in Khan Yunis. In response, the IDF began striking Hamas terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip.
Despite Hamas’s continual violations, its representatives expressed anger to Steve Witkoff, telling Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television news channel on Saturday that they had informed the U.S. Mideast envoy that “the agreement is over and [Hamas] is ready to fight.”
Hamas later denied the report when it was repeated by Hebrew media.
Although Hamas is to disarm under the ceasefire agreement, it swiftly rejected that demand and has repeatedly said it will not lay down its weapons.
JNS Staff
Source: https://www.jns.org/us-plans-to-put-gazans-on-israeli-side-of-ceasefire-line/
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