Israel builds Gaza barrier along yellow line, fuelling border fears

Cairo,UPDATED: Jul 21, 2026 10:56 IST

Satellite imagery shows the Israeli military is building a large earthen barrier across Gaza, separating the more than 50 per cent of the territory it controls from the rest of the enclave. When shown the images, the military confirmed it has built a physical barrier along the so-called "yellow line", the boundary to which Israeli troops withdrew under the October ceasefire deal with Hamas.

More than 23 kilometres of the barrier have been built in recent months, cutting through Palestinian communities demolished by the military. The line was meant to be a temporary division under the US-backed ceasefire agreement, pending a fuller Israeli withdrawal. But with the truce stalled, Palestinians fear it is turning into a de facto border. The military also told AP it has set up a "security zone" around the line with intelligence and technological assets.

The Israeli military declined to give details of the barrier's full route or how far it will be extended. It said the barrier is meant to prevent infiltration and protect Israeli troops and Israeli communities near Gaza. Neither US Central Command, which is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, nor the Board of Peace, the body led by US President Donald Trump that is meant to eventually oversee Gaza, commented on the barrier.

Construction has moved quickly. Satellite images provided by Planet Labs PBC show that part of the berm network in southern Gaza grew by more than 2 kilometres in two weeks this month. On July 1, one stretch was about 500 metres long. By July 15, it had reached about 2.4 kilometres, cutting between the Israeli-controlled ruins of Rafah and Muwasi, where some of the largest Palestinian tent camps are located.

If work continues in the same direction, that section would connect to the longest stretch of the barrier, which already runs almost without a break for about 17 kilometres from Khan Younis towards Gaza City. Construction on that stretch began in February, and satellite images indicate that work is continuing further south. More than a kilometre was added between June 21 and July 7 near an Israeli military base built on the ruins of Bani Suheila, near Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, several disconnected berms can also be seen just outside the largely flattened town of Beit Lahia. The height of the berms is unclear, and in some places they appear to run outside the yellow line.

Palestinians in Gaza have long feared that Israel would not give up the areas it controls under the ceasefire deal, though few appear to know about the berms because it is dangerous to go near the area. Gaza's population is now crowded into the coastal strip west of the yellow line, with many people living in poor tent camps and relying on aid. On the other side, satellite imagery shows Israeli forces have destroyed most buildings with bulldozers and explosives, wiping out several towns and Rafah, which was once home to more than a quarter of a million people. New roads and military bases have been built on the ruins, and farmland has also been damaged. The Israeli military says it is destroying infrastructure used by Hamas.

The yellow line was never clearly defined in the ceasefire deal or by Israeli or US officials, and it has been marked inconsistently on the ground. The military told AP it is working to clearly mark the route of the yellow line to "reduce friction and prevent harm to uninvolved individuals". Israeli forces have killed Palestinians who approached or crossed the line. The military says it fires at people it believes are militants threatening its troops. But those killed have included children and other civilians who appeared not to know where the line was. Some soldiers have also said they do not always know who they are firing at and have orders to kill anyone crossing the boundary.

Since the ceasefire began, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians, mostly in airstrikes and drone attacks across Gaza, while militant attacks have killed five Israeli soldiers, according to the report. Under the deal, Israel is eventually meant to pull its troops back to the edges of Gaza, where an international security force would take over. But the process has been stalled for months. A former UN diplomat now coordinating the ceasefire has blamed Hamas' failure to disarm, while Hamas has accused Israel of violating the truce. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Israel's military response has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which was part of the recently dissolved Hamas-run government and keeps records that UN agencies and international organisations generally regard as reliable, though it does not distinguish between civilians and militants. The barrier's rapid expansion along the yellow line has added to fears that the temporary wartime division of Gaza may become more permanent.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends