Israel's 'Yellow Line' Is Redrawing Gaza as Palestinians Are Pushed Into a Shrinking Zone

A military boundary running almost the length of Gaza is being pushed steadily towards the Mediterranean, with the International Crisis Group saying Israeli forces have been levelling neighbourhoods behind it and enforcing the area as a 'no-go' zone.

The line, known as the Yellow Line, was set out under the October 2025 ceasefire as the position to which Israeli troops were initially required to withdraw.

According to the International Crisis Group's latest report, Israeli forces controlled between 65 and 70 per cent of the Strip in its August assessment, compared with the 53 per cent left under Israeli control during the ceasefire's first stage.

Gaza's 2.1 million residents are consequently being confined to an increasingly smaller area, with most now in roughly a third of the enclave, while aid deliveries have remained far below the daily volumes promised under the ceasefire.

A Line That Keeps Moving

The movement of the physical markers has been documented through satellite imagery. In January 2026, concrete blocks marking the Yellow Line had been repositioned deeper inside Gaza in Beit Lahia, Jabalia and the Al-Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, with 16 positions moved and seven blocks in Al-Tuffah shifted by an average of 295 metres.

Professor Andreas Krieg, a Middle East security expert at King's College London, described the movement as a 'tool for territorial engineering', arguing that the gap between the mapped line and physical markers could allow the area accessible to Gazans to change without a formal announcement.

His comments were made in the context of satellite imagery showing the physical markers being moved deeper into the enclave.

Israeli army chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir also described the ceasefire line as 'a new border' during a December visit to Gaza. The description referred to the military's position along the ceasefire line, rather than establishing an internationally recognised border.

In May 2026, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces controlled 60 per cent of the territory and directed the military to move towards 70 per cent.

What Is Being Left Behind

As the boundary moves, territory on its eastern side has also seen extensive destruction. Satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts found that at least 40 buildings in Al-Tuffah had been destroyed after the Yellow Line markers were repositioned, while the revised line had moved up to about 200 metres beyond its original position in parts of the neighbourhood.

The Crisis Group report says more than 1,200 people in Gaza have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect, with Israeli airstrikes and shootings along the Yellow Line among the reported causes of death.

Around 81 per cent of Gaza's buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, including approximately 90 per cent of homes and 93 per cent of schools, while the report describes worsening humanitarian conditions as medical supplies and sanitation infrastructure deteriorate.

The Yellow Line has increasingly functioned as a dividing line between areas under Israeli and Palestinian control.

The US-led Board of Peace has proposed reconstruction in areas outside Hamas control, including a pilot project for 11,000 Palestinians vetted by Israel. Crisis Group warns that selective reconstruction in Israeli or internationally controlled areas could entrench Gaza's division.

If the current arrangement continues, Crisis Group warns that Gaza risks permanent partition, with reconstruction proceeding selectively in areas under Israeli control while most of the population remains in deteriorating conditions.

With no disarmament agreement in place and Israeli elections expected in October, the report concludes that the ceasefire has 'failed to deliver most of its promises', leaving Gaza's 2.1 million residents facing the prospect of prolonged deprivation or renewed war.