‘Creeping death’: Israel weaponises ‘Yellow Line’ to annex Gaza
Analysts and locals say the move mirrors what happened after the 1967 war with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. In Gaza, the Israeli military
Analysts and locals say the move mirrors what happened after the 1967 war with Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. In Gaza, the Israeli military only needs to move a yellow concrete block a few metres to rewrite the geography on the ground. Originally placed as field markers following the ceasefire to separate Israeli forces from areas slated for withdrawal, these blocks have transformed into an advancing front line. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), this restricted access zone, which Israel calls the “Yellow Line“, expanded to cover 64.9 percent of the Gaza Strip by June 2026, up from 53 percent earlier in the year. For Palestinians, these shifting markers are a daily reality of forced displacement. The Government Media Office in Gaza has recorded 3,795 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, resulting in 1,168 Palestinians killed since the “ceasefire” agreement in October last year. UN data indicates that roughly a third of these deaths occurred in areas near this advancing demarcation line. A waking nightmare in Deir el-Balah Following evacuation orders broadcasted by Israeli quadcopters on the evening of Friday, July 17, Hazem Saeed, a resident of eastern Deir el-Balah, told Al Jazeera that military vehicles advanced under the cover of darkness. They pushed the yellow blocks between 300 and 350 metres (984 to 1,148 feet) westwards, threatening to shoot anyone who refused to leave.
The sudden shift placed the concrete barriers directly on Sultan Othman Street, confiscating vast agricultural and residential lands belonging to the Abu Ghraba, Abu Ghaliba, Abu Blima, and al-Tarhouni families. “The yellow cube is now placed two to four metres (6 to 13 feet) from citizens’ homes,” Saeed explained. He noted that families such as Bin Saeed, al-Louh, and Abu Ghraba now find themselves living immediately west of the line, having lost the agricultural lands that were their sole livelihood. ‘A creeping death’ in Zeitoun In the Zeitoun neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, 71 displaced families set up a makeshift camp called Ahl al-Sumud (People of Steadfastness) on Salah al-Din Street, just 70 metres (230 feet) from the “Yellow Line”. Camp supervisor Ramadan Abu Ammo told Al Jazeera that they did not choose the location for safety, but they had nowhere else to go. “We are carrying our souls on our palms, but where do we go? We have no other place,” Abu Ammo said, noting that shrapnel falls almost daily. He added that his parents remain buried under the rubble of his nearby home, as rescue teams are barred from accessing the newly restricted area. Palestinian journalist Saed Hassaballah, who lives near the camp, described the advancing blocks as a “creeping death”, explaining that intense gunfire and shelling always precede their movement. He told Al Jazeera that residents endure live fire aimed directly at their homes to push them out, stating, “The occupation wants to drive us out by force, but the people are holding onto their land.” Erasing the north In northern Gaza, the advancement of the “Yellow Line” is accompanied by a complete erasure of the landscape.
The BriefWire