Israel will not withdraw ‘one millimeter’ from Gaza, defense minister says

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel will not move “one millimeter” from the “Yellow Line” in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed, despite the start of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.

The “Yellow Line” refers to the line to which Israeli forces withdrew in eastern Gaza during the first phase of Trump’s plan to end the war

Under the plan’s second phase, which began last month, Israel is expected to withdraw gradually from that line.

“We will never allow Hamas to remain, not with weapons and not with tunnels. The slogan is simple: until the last tunnel,” Katz said at a conference organized by the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

“We will not move from the Yellow Line by one millimeter until Hamas is disarmed, from weapons, from tunnels and from other things,” he claimed.

On Monday, Israeli Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs said the government would give Hamas 60 days to disarm, threatening to resume the war if it does not comply.

Israel launched its genocidal war in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, with US support. The war lasted two years and killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, most of them children and women, and destroyed about 90% of civilian infrastructure.

The war ended with a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10 2025. However, Israel has continued airstrikes and demolitions in various parts of Gaza in repeated violations of the agreement.

The disarmament of Hamas is part of the second phase of Trump’s plan, which took effect in mid-January. The phase includes further Israeli withdrawals from Gaza, the start of reconstruction, the entry of additional humanitarian aid and the launch of an administrative committee to manage the territory.

Separately, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Katz said Israel must expand domestic weapons production to ensure it can defend itself independently, citing global competition for ammunition and occasional disagreements with allies during wartime.

Katz described the US as a “great ally” that supported Israel during what he called a “multi-front conflict,” while acknowledging some disagreements that “had their impact.”

He said the Defense Ministry has decided to launch a long-term initiative, temporarily named “Shield of Israel,” that would add 350 billion shekels (about $95 billion) to the defense budget over the next decade.

The plan is based on “strong confidence in the economic strength” of Israel, Katz said.

“There is no security without an economy, and no economy without security,” he added.

*Writing by Lina Altawell