Israel building new land barriers in Gaza and displacing families

"We've been displaced from place to place, and now we have nowhere left to go," states Umm Mohammed al-Shawish, who is desperately seeking shelter after Israel relocated the yellow concrete blocks that delineate its control in the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, families in al-Tuffah, northern Gaza, awoke to find these blocks had been shifted westward into the center of Salah al-Din road, a crucial north-south artery through Gaza. Nearby, an Israeli flag was observed flying atop an earth barrier approximately 3 meters (10 feet) high.

The al-Shawish family's home was destroyed during the conflict. On Sunday, they were forced to flee again after the Israeli military issued a warning of an impending attack on a nearby structure. Their sole refuge, a tent, was subsequently torn apart by the strike. "We are going to die here," Mohammed al-Shawish declared. "Death is better than humiliation. No-one is standing with us."

Under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last October, Israel committed to withdrawing its forces from across Gaza to a designated demarcation, known as the Yellow Line. This agreement was intended to grant Israel temporary control over the area behind the Yellow Line, encompassing 53% of Gaza's territory. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) controlled over 60%, and in May, he publicly declared his "directive" was to expand this to 70%.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating the October ceasefire agreement by moving the Yellow Line westward. A senior Israeli government official unequivocally rejected Hamas's claims, telling the BBC: "IDF deployments and security lines are operational measures taken to protect Israeli citizens and prevent Hamas from rebuilding its terror army. Israel will continue to act against any ceasefire violations."

Initially, the Israeli military marked the Yellow Line with concrete blocks before moving some markers further into Gaza. Since the ceasefire, Israel has constructed a network of barriers that now extend over 42 kilometers (26 miles) and cover 85% of Israel's Yellow Line, with the longest continuous section already reaching 13.8 kilometers (8.5 miles).

Experts have informed the BBC that these earthworks suggest Israel is preparing for a prolonged occupation of the strip. In certain areas, the earth barrier effectively pushes the de facto "border"—the Yellow Line—deeper into Gaza, further expanding the perilous no-go zone for Gazans. One section of the embankment near the al-Mawasi camp is more than 1.5 kilometers beyond the Yellow Line's original mapping, while another section in Khan Younis is positioned over 500 meters past it.

The IDF states it is working to "clearly and visually mark the location of the Yellow Line on the ground" to "reduce friction," and has previously rejected "all claims that the Yellow Line has been moved or its crossing by IDF troops."

Other instances of displacement have been reported in Gaza in recent months as the army has advanced yellow blocks further into the territory, into areas where Palestinians have been residing during the ceasefire. On July 18, dozens of families hastily loaded mattresses and belongings onto motorcycles as they fled the Zeitoun area, east of Gaza City, after the IDF issued an evacuation order. Gazans interpreted this as a sign that the Yellow Line was being moved again, with some leaving empty-handed in their haste. Locals described gunfire from Israeli military vehicles, quadcopter drones, and artillery shelling.

"The war is not over. That's a big lie. Every day there are strikes, displacement and evictions," declared Ismail Kashko, whose family feared being hit by Israeli fire as troops approached. "We are living in tents, not in houses. There's no concrete to protect us."

According to the UN's humanitarian office, OCHA, approximately 30 families lost their tents in Zeitoun and required assistance with basic supplies. Satellite imagery from July shows numerous temporary shelters disappearing from the area. Residents of Zeitoun report observing Israeli bulldozers and heavy machinery to the east, where the army has been constructing a new base and earth banks.

The Israeli military informed the BBC that their "defensive posture" includes "a security zone, a physical barrier, intelligence capabilities, technological means, and operational activity by IDF troops." They added: "These measures are intended to prevent infiltrations and hostile activity, and to protect both the troops and surrounding communities. For operational security reasons, we will not provide further details regarding the components of the deployment, the route of the barrier, or its extent."

East of the central city of Deir al-Balah, families living on farmland told the BBC they received two days' notice from the Israeli military before the area was razed. Satellite images reveal tank tracks and destroyed structures in the area, with an olive grove over 500 meters beyond the Yellow Line apparently torn down. Verified video shows three yellow blocks recently placed there, the furthest of which is more than 300 meters from the Yellow Line mapped after the ceasefire.

Further south, near al-Mawasi, Palestinians report that other blocks marking the Yellow Line have moved closer to their camps. They describe daily movements of Israeli tanks, recurrent gunfire, and the construction of tall sand embankments. Tony Reeves, founder of intelligence analysis firm MAIAR, analyzed satellite images and estimated that one section of the embankments in Gaza reached up to 7 meters tall.

Verified videos and satellite images show land and roads have been churned up and some buildings flattened to make way for the earth barriers, while Israel has continued its demolition campaign across Gaza since the ceasefire. In June, days before commencing construction of the barrier near the southernmost city of Rafah, Israeli troops destroyed structures and rows of greenhouses in its path, according to satellite images. In nearby Khan Younis, IDF drone footage depicted a controlled demolition of a cluster of buildings beyond the Yellow Line. By July, a barrier had been constructed nearby, and many more buildings were destroyed. In July alone, satellite imagery indicates scores more buildings were destroyed beyond the Yellow Line in Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, Zeitoun, and in the northern towns of Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

The military has also established dozens of bases, outposts, and staging areas behind the barrier along the Yellow Line. Fourteen new positions have been created since the October ceasefire, including two currently under construction, while an additional seven established before the ceasefire have been paved or extended.

When asked about demolition activity beyond the Yellow Line, the IDF did not directly respond, stating: "IDF troops under the Southern Command are deployed in the area of the Yellow Line in accordance with the ceasefire agreement."

Retired Israeli brigadier general Assaf Orion, a senior researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), suggested that the construction of barriers and bases indicates "the IDF is preparing for a long stay along the Yellow Line, as little (if any) progress has been made in disarming Hamas." Dr. Andreas Krieg, a security expert from King's College London, stated that the BBC's findings suggest "Israel is turning the Yellow Line from a temporary withdrawal boundary into a de facto internal border."

People in Gaza say the Yellow Line is already having a devastating effect, compressing a population of over two million into an increasingly smaller space amidst dire humanitarian conditions. "The Yellow Line keeps moving day by day," said Abu Kamel Hamami, who is displaced in Gaza City. "We're constantly moving from one street to another. Everywhere is overcrowded with people, tents and displacement camps."