Yellow markers installed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are entrenching a divide that cuts Gaza in two, as hopes of moving to the next phase of the ceasefire fade. The supposedly temporary line is taking an increasingly physical form, with potentially dramatic consequences for Palestine’s future.
IDF troops have started installing yellow concrete markers every 200 metres to delineate the area remaining under Israeli control during the first phase of the ceasefire. The line cuts Gaza roughly in half, with Hamas seeking to reassert control in the western part, while in the eastern strip and along the borders, the IDF has been reinforcing outposts and firing at anyone approaching the line.
“In our area, the yellow lines aren’t clearly visible. We don’t know where they start or end,” said Mohammad Khaled Abu al-Hussain, a 31-year-old father of five, whose house lies in the IDF-controlled zone. “As soon as we get close to our homes, bullets start flying from every direction. It feels like the war hasn’t really ended for me.”
Israel insists it will maintain control of security in Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating, “We control our security.” The free-fire policy along the line follows an attack in which two Israeli soldiers were killed. Two weeks into the ceasefire, more than 20 Palestinians are still being killed on average each day, many near the yellow line.
The political hurdles to a second phase of the ceasefire remain immense. The right wing of Netanyahu’s coalition opposes further withdrawal and internationalisation of control. In the impasse, the yellow line is increasingly referred to in Israeli media as a “new border”. A BBC satellite analysis suggests the markers have been placed several hundred metres beyond the proposed line, representing a further land grab.
