In Gaza, the Israeli military has been advancing its control by moving yellow concrete blocks—originally placed as field markers after the ceasefire—to redefine territorial boundaries. This restricted access zone, referred to by Israel as the “Yellow Line,” expanded to cover 64.9 percent of the Gaza Strip by June 2026, up from 53 percent earlier in the year, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The Government Media Office in Gaza reported 3,795 Israeli violations of the ceasefire since October 2025, resulting in 1,168 Palestinian deaths. Local residents describe the daily impact of this expansion. Hazem Saeed, from eastern Deir el-Balah, told Al Jazeera that Israeli military vehicles advanced under cover of darkness following evacuation orders broadcast by Israeli quadcopters on the evening of Friday, July 17, 2026. Another resident, Abu Ammo, said, “We are carrying our souls on our palms, but where do we go? We have no other place,” noting that shrapnel falls almost daily.

Reports also indicate that local armed groups loyal to Israel routinely detain and assault youths near the line. One incident involved a young man beaten near the Janzir roundabout in Beit Lahiya and handed over to the Israeli army.

An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Open Source Unit identified 40 permanent Israeli military outposts across Gaza, several constructed entirely after last year’s ceasefire. Analysts and locals compare this gradual territorial expansion to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank following the 1967 war.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir recently celebrated the expansion at a rally, stating, “If someone had said three years ago that we would control 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, no one would have believed it … Gaza is ours.”

Sources