Israel is rapidly building a large earthen barrier across Gaza, according to satellite imagery, deepening the separation between the more than 50 per cent of the territory it controls and the rest of the enclave. The construction, which runs through demolished Palestinian communities, appears to be reinforcing what was meant to be a temporary line under the October ceasefire deal with Hamas.

When shown the satellite images, the Israeli military confirmed to The Associated Press that it had built a physical barrier in the area of the so-called yellow line, to which its troops withdrew under the ceasefire agreement. As the truce remains stalled, Palestinians fear the line is turning into a permanent border.

More than 23 kilometres of barrier have been built in recent months. This is more than half the length of Gaza, which is about 40 kilometres long and 11 kilometres wide, and home to more than 2 million Palestinians. The military also said it has created a "security zone" around the line, fitted with intelligence and technological assets, but did not say how far the barrier would extend. It said the barrier was meant to prevent infiltration and protect Israeli troops and communities near Gaza. Neither US Central Command, which is meant to monitor 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. In southern Gaza, satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show one section of the berm network grew by more than 2 kilometres in two weeks this month. It was about 500 metres long on July 1 and around 2.4 kilometres by July 15, 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 will connect with the longest stretch of the barrier, which runs nearly continuously for about 17 kilometres from Khan Younis to near Gaza City. Construction on that stretch began in February, and satellite images indicate work to extend it further south is continuing. 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 stretches of berms run just outside the largely levelled town of Beit Lahia. The height of the berms remains unclear, and in some places they appear to run outside the yellow line.

Since the ceasefire came into effect, Palestinians in Gaza have feared that Israel would not return the areas it controls. Many do not appear to be aware of the berms being built because approaching the area is dangerous. Gaza's population has been pushed into the coastal strip west of the yellow line, with many living in tent camps and relying on aid. On the other side, satellite imagery shows Israeli forces have flattened most buildings with bulldozers and explosives, virtually 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 of Palestinian towns, and farmland has also been destroyed. The Israeli military says it is demolishing infrastructure used by Hamas.

The yellow line was not clearly defined in the ceasefire deal and has been marked inconsistently on the ground. The military said it is working to clearly mark the route to "reduce friction and prevent harm to uninvolved individuals". Israeli forces have killed Palestinians who came close to or crossed the line. The military says it fires on people it believes are militants threatening its troops, but those killed have included children and other civilians who appeared to be unaware of the line. Some soldiers have said they do not always know who they are firing on and have orders to kill anyone crossing the boundary.

Israeli forces have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians since the ceasefire began, most of them in airstrikes and drone strikes across Gaza. Militant attacks have killed five Israeli soldiers during the same period. Early on Tuesday, an Israeli strike in Gaza City killed Firas al-Masri, his wife and their four children, aged 6 to 13, according to Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said only that it had carried out a strike on Hamas militants in the area at that time. Firas' brother, Ahmad al-Masri, who lives nearby, said he heard the children at the moment of the blast. "They were calling out to me, Uncle! Uncle!" he said. "But the fire was raging, and we couldn't do anything."

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is eventually meant to pull its troops back to the edges of Gaza, to be replaced by an international security force, but that process has been stalled for months. A former UN diplomat now coordinating the ceasefire has blamed Hamas' failure to disarm. Talks on a formula for giving up its weapons have made little visible progress, 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, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Israel's military offensive that followed has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which was part of the recently dissolved Hamas-run government, keeps detailed records that UN agencies and international organisations generally regard as reliable. It does not separate civilians from militants, but says women and children account for about half of those killed.

The barrier's rapid expansion, along with continued military strikes and the stalled ceasefire, underlines how Gaza remains divided, with large areas flattened, more than half the territory under Israeli control and the future of the yellow line still unresolved.

With PTI Inputs

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Published By:

India Today Web Desk

Published On:

Jul 21, 2026 17:22 IST