US, Israel working on ‘safe zone’ for Gazans fearing Hamas retribution

Daily News Article   —   Posted on October 17, 2025

(by Caitlin Doornbos, Steven Nelson, NY Post) – The US is working with Israel to create a safe zone to shelter Gazans afraid for their lives under Hamas rule as the terror group carries out brutal, public executions of Palestinians it accuses of working with the Jewish state, senior officials said Wednesday.

The safe zone would be behind the Israel Defense Forces’ “yellow line” of withdrawal inside Gaza upon enactment of a cease-fire last week, affording “people feeling threatened” a place to avoid Hamas without entering Israel, one US official said.

“This is really in response to what the reports we’ve been seeing of Hamas, you know, executing rivals,” the person said. “Israel is very committed to creating safety for the people of Gaza who want to live in peace, and so this is a new line of effort that we requested.”

The US proposal “was met with a lot of enthusiasm from Israel to try to set this up,” the official added.

“I think that after two years of war, you know, Israel is trying to show that they do care about the people of Gaza,” the person went on. “They want to see the people who are peace-loving do well, and so they are making a big effort to try to embrace and protect and help those who want live peacefully side by side and who are renouncing Hamas.”

At the same time, the US officials said, they have been “working with the mediators to send a message to say we’d really like to see [Hamas’ executions] stop.”

Earlier Wednesday, Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), directly called out Hamas for its violence against Gazans in a post on X, urging the terror group to “immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza — in both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF behind the Yellow Line.”

“This is a historic opportunity for peace,” Cooper said. “Hamas should seize it fully by standing down, strictly adhering to President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, and disarming without delay.”

Noting that CENTCOM had also “conveyed our concerns to the mediators,” Cooper added that the US military combatant command overseeing the Middle East remain[s] highly optimistic for the future of peace in the region.”

Statement from Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, Oct. 15, 2025

Terrified Gazans who oppose Hamas spoke to The Post on Tuesday, describing grisly scenes of residents dragged from homes by gunmen and shot in the street without trials.

“They wiped out an entire family,” one eyewitness said. “They killed the elderly, the young, the kids — everyone from the family.

“Hamas is taking revenge on civilians.”

Published at NY Post on Oct. 15, 2025. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.