Israel building earthen barrier in Gaza to entrench division of the enclave

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 23, citing satellite imagery and reporting by AP and Haaretz, that Israel’s military is constructing a large earthen barrier inside the Gaza Strip. The structure, described as a berm with an adjacent trench, separates areas under Israeli control from the rest of the enclave and has intensified Palestinian concerns that the division could become permanent.

According to the report, the works extend beyond the “yellow line” established under a US-backed ceasefire agreement signed in October 2025 as a temporary boundary between Israeli-controlled and Palestinian-administered areas. Haaretz reported that near Khan Younis the barrier is about 400 metres past that line, and in part of the Rafah area about 1,300 metres beyond it. AP said the barrier, built over recent months, already stretches more than 23km; Gaza is roughly 40km long.

The Israeli military told AP it was building a physical barrier in the area of the yellow line. Al Jazeera reported that the ceasefire framework had envisaged the line as temporary, with an eventual Israeli withdrawal to Gaza’s edges and replacement by an international force. Palestinians quoted or described in the report fear they may be unable to return to land, homes and farms destroyed during the war that began in 2023.

The report also noted broader Israeli activity in controlled areas, including new roads and bases, and cited Defence Minister Israel Katz discussing plans for Nahal outposts in northern Gaza. It said Israeli settlers and right-wing activists recently marched near the Gaza border calling for renewed settlements, while Palestinians remain crowded in coastal areas west of the line amid continuing strikes and shortages.