🔗 Share this article

New evidence suggest that Israel's military troops are maintaining control over more area inside Gaza than initially anticipated under the ceasefire deal.

This Truce Agreement and the Demarcation Line

According to the first stage of the deal, Israeli authorities agreed to withdraw to a demarcation border extending along the north, southern, and eastern edges of Gaza. The divide was designated by a yellow line on official charts published by the defense forces and has come to be referred to as the "Demarcation Line."

However, recent videos and aerial images reveal that indicators positioned by Israel's troops in two areas to mark the boundary have been placed several hundreds of yards further inside the territory than the anticipated withdrawal line.

Government Statements and Warnings

Israel's Defense Minister the defense minister—which ordered troops to place the yellow blocks—warned that individuals crossing the line "would be confronted with fire." There's been already been at minimum several fatal events near the demarcation zone.

When contacted, the Israeli military failed to respond to the claims, saying simply that: "IDF troops under the military command have started marking the demarcation in the Gaza Strip to create operational understanding on the terrain."

Absence of Clarity and Confusion

There's existed a ongoing lack of precision regarding where exactly the boundary will be imposed, with multiple different maps posted by the White House, former U.S. President, and the Israeli military in the lead-up to the ceasefire agreement that came into force on 10 October.

As of October 14, the Israeli military issued the latest edition showing the Yellow Line on their digital map, which is used to communicate its stance to people in the Gaza Strip.

North and Southern Gaza

In the north, close to the al-Atatra neighbourhood, drone video from the IDF showed that a line of several yellow blocks were as much as over 500 meters deeper within the Strip than was anticipated from the official maps.

Video verified depicted personnel operating heavy machinery and excavators to relocate the large yellow blocks and place them along the coastal al-Rashid road.

A similar scenario was visible in southern Gaza, where a satellite photograph taken on 19 October revealed ten indicators placed close to the urban area of Khan Younis. The row of blocks extends from 180m-290 meters inside the demarcation set out by the IDF.

Analysts Interpretation

Multiple experts suggested that the blocks were intended to create a "safety area" separating local residents and IDF personnel. One expert stated the action would be consistent with a ongoing "policy approach" that aims to insulate Israel from adjacent areas it does not fully control.

"This provides the Israeli military room to operate and establish a 'engagement area' targeting potential threats," an analyst said. "Possible targets can be targeted prior to they reach the military boundary. It is a somewhat like unclaimed territory that does not belong to either side—and Israel tends to take that land from the opponent's chunk not its own."

Several experts proposed that the difference separating the markers and the official chart was an deliberate design to alert residents they are "approaching an area of elevated risk."

Noam Ostfeld said that some blocks "seem to be positioned close to roads or walls, making them easier to identify."

Resident Confusion and Events

Exists already confusion within Gazans over areas where it is secure to go.

A resident living lives near the interim demarcation in the east part of Gaza City's Shejaiya district said that, despite promises from Israeli authorities of visible indicators, he had observed none installed.

"Daily, we can observe Israeli army vehicles and soldiers at a relatively nearby range, but we have no way of knowing whether we are in what is considered a 'secure area' or 'a hazardous location'," he said. "We are constantly vulnerable to danger, especially as we are forced to remain in this location because this is where our residence previously existed."

After the ceasefire was implemented, the IDF has documented a series of instances of people crossing the demarcation. On each occasions the military said it engaged those present.

Footage obtained and verified depicted the aftermath of a incident on October 17, which the Hamas-run emergency agency said resulted in the deaths of 11 non-combatants—comprising females and children reportedly allegedly from the identical household. The authority stated the local car was attacked by Israeli forces after crossing the Yellow Line east of Gaza City in the Zeitoun area.

The footage showed emergency workers inspecting the burnt out remains of a car and shrouding a adjacent severely damaged remains of a minor with a white sheet. Geolocation located the video to a location around 125 meters over the Yellow Line marked on maps by the Israeli military.

The Israeli military stated warning rounds were fired towards a "suspect vehicle" that had breached the line. The announcement noted when the vehicle did not to halt, troops engaged "to remove the threat."

Legal Status and Obligations

At the same time, the juridical standing of the boundary has also been challenged.

"Israel's obligations under the regulations of hostilities cannot end even for those breaching the demarcation," said a legal expert. "The military can only target hostile combatants or those actively involved in conflict, and in so doing it must not inflict excessive civilian harm."

In a statement, an Israeli defense spokesperson said: "IDF troops under the Southern Command continue to function to eliminate any threat to the troops and to defend the civilians of the nation of Israel."

The spokesperson further that the concrete blocks are "being placed every 200 meters."

Background and Casualties

Israeli authorities initiated a defense operation in the Gaza Strip