The Yellow Line

Israel’s conduct in the area that was temporarily left under its control under the ceasefire agreement and its treatment of Gaza’s civilians now crowded in the rest of the Strip are a direct continuation of its policy during the war: killing, expulsion, and systematic destruction on the one hand, and entrenching a presence in the territory it controls on the other. This policy aligns with the vision of ethnic cleansing and the renewal of Jewish settlement in Gaza repeatedly expressed by Israeli ministers and members of parliament (Hebrew), including since the agreement entered into effect.

The route known as the Yellow Line separates the area to which Israeli forces withdrew under the ceasefire agreement from the part of the Gaza Strip left to Palestinians. Under the agreement, which stipulates that this is a temporary arrangement, the Israeli military retains control of about 58% of the Strip’s territory, crowding Gaza’s roughly 2.1 million residents into an area that is less than half the size of the territory where they lived before the war. Gaza’s partition resulted in repeated displacement for many families. Hundreds of Palestinians have since been shot and killed, and a new de facto border has been established, encircling residents of the Strip on all sides.

When the Yellow Line map was released in October 2025, residents were warned not to go near it or cross into areas where Israeli forces are present. However, it was difficult to discern exactly where the line was located from the map published by the Israeli military, and it was not initially marked on the ground in any way, leaving Gaza residents unable to know with certainty how far they could safely go. Meanwhile, the military’s open fire regulations for the Yellow Line area permit the use of live fire and shoot to kill, at anyone who crosses the line, even if they do not pose a concrete and immediate threat. Hundreds of civilians, including women and children, have been shot near or beyond the line, particularly in the first days and weeks, but also in the months since. For example, on November 29, 2025, two children, ages 10 and 12, were reportedly killed by fire from an Israeli drone while gathering firewood near the Yellow Line.

According to a media analysis of satellite images, once the Israeli army began marking the line by placing yellow concrete blocks, in some places the blocks were placed inside the area left to the Palestinians under the agreement rather than on the Yellow Line itself, meaning Israel effectively expanded the area under its control. In various locations, yellow concrete blocks were later moved farther into Palestinian territory, changing the border and displacing many IDPs, once again, to the other side of the new line.

Since only about 42% of the Strip’s total area is open to Gaza residents, many cannot access their homes and lands, and are forced to continue living in displacement camps, tents, and ruined buildings. Additionally, most of Gaza’s agricultural land lies east of the Yellow Line, inside the Israeli-controlled area. With farmers denied access to their land, essential food sources cannot be rehabilitated, and dependency on outside aid cannot be reduced. Humanitarian aid, on which the vast majority of Gaza’s population relies, is also affected by the route of the Yellow Line, since every movement by aid workers and every food, relief, or commercial transport requires coordination and approval from the Israeli authorities, including access to the border crossings, all of which are located in areas under Israeli control.

As noted, the Yellow Line is a temporary arrangement while under the ceasefire. Since the agreement went into effect, the Israeli military has been entrenching itself in the area by demolishing thousands of buildings and infrastructure, constructing additional military posts in the area, and building an earth berm along the line. As of a March 2026 report, the barrier spans 17 kilometers, about 40% of the line’s total length. These actions, which echo statements by the Chief of Staff about “a new border,” and by the Minister of Defense and coalition members about aspirations to settle northern Gaza, indicate that the Israeli government views this as an opportunity to strengthen its hold inside the Strip rather than as a step toward a long term political solution.

Physically marking the line does not absolve the military of its obligations under the laws of war regarding the use of force or of its duty to comply with international legal norms that require protecting civilians regardless of where they are and refraining from targeting them.

Further reading:

Gisha: The “Yellow Line”: Approximately 58 percent of the Gaza Strip is still under direct Israeli control, November 2025

Video testimony:

B’Tselem: Yellow Line of “ceasefire” in Gaza leading to more killing and displacement, December 2025