Israel declares border with Egypt 'closed military zone'

Government claims move is aimed at curbing the use of drones to smuggle weapons into Gaza

Israeli troops drive past destroyed buildings in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza city. AP

Israel said on Thursday it would declare its border area with Egypt a "closed military zone" to stop alleged smuggling into Gaza.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said troops were told to "combat the drone threat", the method by which he claimed weapons were being moved into Gaza. Israel and Egypt share a border of about 200km.

"Today we declare war on those involved in the smuggling – and anyone who breaches the forbidden area will be targeted," he added.

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It is the latest signal from Israel that it is prepared to take further military action in the Gaza war despite a ceasefire that came into force on October 10. Dozens of people have been killed in intermittent Israeli attacks in the enclave since then.

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire late on Wednesday, as Israel received the body of another hostage from Hamas. Forensic tests identified the remains as those of Joshua Loitu Mollel, a Tanzanian student whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed in the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Mr Mollel, aged 21 at the time, had been in Israel on an agricultural internship programme. The return of the body means there are now six deceased hostages left in Gaza.

Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades, passed the remains to the Red Cross near Gaza city on Wednesday night, before they was taken to Israeli authorities.

The transfer came as two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in central Gaza after crossing the so-called yellow line that marks Israeli-held territory and “advancing towards Israeli troops”, the military said. A statement said the pair approached the Israeli-controlled area in a “threatening” way.

Gaza health authorities said Israeli fire also killed a Palestinian collecting fire wood in central Gaza. The Israeli military said it was not aware of an incident in the area.

Despite near daily violence, the process of returning hostage remains to Israel has continued under a US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10 to pause more than two years of war.

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As part of a peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump, Hamas has turned over all 20 living hostages it held in Gaza in return for the release of 2,000 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails. Hamas has also promised to turn over the remains of 28 dead hostages, but says the devastation in the enclave has made finding the bodies difficult. Israel accuses Hamas of stalling.

Separately, the US presented a draft UN Security Council resolution on Wednesday aimed at bolstering Mr Trump's peace plan, including by giving approval to an international security force for the enclave, Washington's mission to the UN said.

US ambassador to the world body, Mike Waltz, shared the draft with the 10 elected members of the Security Council, as well as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, a representative for the US mission said. No date has been set for a vote on the draft.

The US statement said the resolution “welcomes the Board of Peace”, a transitional governing body for Gaza envisioned in Mr Trump's 20-point plan, which he would lead. The statement also “authorises the International Stabilisation Force” outlined in the peace plan.

“Under President Trump's bold leadership, the United States will again deliver results at the UN, not endless talk,” the US representative said.

Under Mr Trump's plan, troops for the stabilisation force would be drawn from mostly Arab and Muslim countries and sent to Gaza to oversee security as the Israeli military withdraws.

The presentation of the UN resolution came as Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met a Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil Al Hayya in Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss the ceasefire. The meeting focused on ways to ensure the truce is maintained smoothly and methods to implement the next phase of the peace plan.