‘Yellow Line’: Imaginary Israeli boundary becomes deadly zone for Palestinians in Gaza

• At least 44 people killed in Israeli bombardment west of yellow line on Sunday alone, official tells Anadolu

GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

A notional line defined under a US-sponsored ceasefire agreement for the withdrawal of the Israeli forces has become a lethal zone for many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

On Oct. 10, the Israeli forces completed the first phase of withdrawal under the ceasefire deal to the “yellow line,” a non-physical demarcation line separating the army forces from certain areas of Gaza, while maintaining control over approximately 50% of the enclave.

Israeli forces remain deployed in the Shejaiya neighborhood, parts of Al-Tuffah and Zeitoun in Gaza City, as well as in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in the north, Rafah in the south, and along the Gaza coast.

According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, Israeli army forces directly open fire on any Palestinians crossing this “yellow line” or even approaching, without prior warning.

According to an Israeli map presented under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan, the yellow line extends from south of northern Gaza down to the outskirts of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Although the army said that it has started placing yellow concrete blocks to mark the imaginary boundary, the facts on the ground and the continued deaths of civilians indicate otherwise.

Tons of debris left by the Israeli bombardment across Gaza have made it increasingly difficult for Palestinians to identify or stay clear of the so-called yellow line.

According to the Gaza Government Media Office, nearly 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed by the Israeli army since the outbreak of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war in October 2023.

Israeli violations

The media office said Sunday that Israel has committed 80 violations of the ceasefire agreement since Oct. 10, resulting in the death of 97 Palestinians, the injury of 230 others, and the arrest of dozens of civilians.

These assaults were carried out by military vehicles and tanks stationed on the outskirts of residential neighborhoods, as well as electronic cranes equipped with remote sensing and targeting systems, the office said, noting that warplanes and drones continue to fly daily over populated areas, directly shooting and targeting civilians.

Twenty-one of these violations occurred on Sunday alone, as Israel bombed areas west of the yellow line, which was claimed to be safe, killing 44 Palestinians, Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the media office, told Anadolu.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas also reported several Israeli violations regarding military activity beyond the yellow line, citing artillery and drone attacks on civilians seeking to return to their homes.

Hamas described the Israeli attacks on Palestinians along the line as “full-fledged crimes that expose the (Israeli) occupation’s premeditated intent to target unarmed civilians without justification.”

The group called on US President Donald Trump and mediators to follow up on the Israeli violations and compel Tel Aviv to respect the ceasefire agreement and stop endangering Palestinian lives.

Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the deal, which took effect on Oct. 10. The agreement was brokered with the help of the US, Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt.

Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war has killed more than 68,000 people and injured more than 170,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.