‘Creeping death’: Israel weaponises ‘Yellow Line’ to annex Gaza

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Israeli forces have been shifting yellow concrete markers inside Gaza that were originally used after an October ceasefire to distinguish Israeli-held areas from zones expected to see withdrawal. Citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the report says the restricted area Israel calls the “Yellow Line” had grown to 64.9 percent of the Gaza Strip by June 2026, compared with 53 percent earlier in the year.

The article, based on accounts from residents, local officials and analysts, describes recent changes in Deir el-Balah, Zeitoun, Gaza City and northern Gaza. In eastern Deir el-Balah, resident Hazem Saeed told Al Jazeera that after evacuation warnings on July 17, military vehicles moved the blocks hundreds of metres west, bringing them close to homes and cutting off agricultural land. In Zeitoun, camp supervisor Ramadan Abu Ammo said displaced families were living near the line because they had nowhere else to go, while journalist Saed Hassaballah described repeated fire and shelling before the markers advanced.

Al Jazeera also cites Gaza municipal official Mohammed al-Sarsawi as saying the expanded restricted zone has blocked access to water, sewage and control facilities in parts of Gaza City, worsening pressure on already damaged infrastructure. A northern Gaza resident, Suhail Ouda, described bulldozing, earthen barriers and surveillance posts near Beit Hanoon and Beit Lahiya.

The report frames the developments as possible long-term entrenchment. Political analyst Ahmed al-Tanani told Al Jazeera the pattern resembles Israel’s post-1967 occupation of the West Bank, while Al Jazeera’s Open Source Unit said it identified 40 Israeli military outposts in Gaza, some built after the ceasefire.