European officials: Partition of Gaza increasingly likely as Trump plan stalls

A de facto partition of Gaza between an area controlled by Israel and another ruled by Hamas is increasingly likely, multiple sources tell Reuters, with efforts to advance US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war beyond a ceasefire faltering.

Six European officials with direct knowledge of the efforts to implement the next phase of the plan say it is effectively stalled and that reconstruction now appears likely to be limited to the Israel-controlled area.

That could lead to years of separation, they warn.

Under the first stage of the plan, which took effect on October 10, the Israeli military currently controls 53% of the Mediterranean territory, including much of its farmland, along with Rafah in the south, parts of Gaza City and other urban areas.

Nearly all Gaza’s 2 million people are crammed into tent camps and the rubble of shattered cities across the rest of Gaza, which is under Hamas control.

The next stage of the plan foresees Israel withdrawing further from the so-called Yellow Line agreed to under Trump’s plan, alongside the establishment of a transitional authority to govern Gaza, the deployment of a multinational security force meant to take over from the Israeli military, the disarmament of Hamas, and the start of reconstruction.

But the plan provides no timelines or mechanisms for implementation. Meanwhile, Hamas has failed to hand over all hostages’ bodies and refuses to disarm, Israel rejects any involvement by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, and uncertainty persists over the multinational force.

Without a major push by the United States to break the impasse, the Yellow Line looks set to become the de facto border indefinitely dividing Gaza, according to 18 sources, among them the six European officials and a former US official familiar with the talks.