Israel continues to kill civilians along Gaza 'Yellow Line' despite ceasefire

Breaking their fast at the iftar table in Ramadan, Sara Warsh Agha, and her brothers Ayman, Nafeth, and Ibrahim sit without their mother, who was killed by an Israeli bullet in northern Gaza.

Basma Banat, 28, left her home in Beit Lahia on Sunday morning for work, as she did each day. This time, family members said, gunfire from Israeli military vehicles stationed east of the town struck her in the lower back and killed her.

She laid for hours with critical injuries at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City before doctors announced her death, as relatives waited outside.

This scene has become part of the daily life of Palestinians, as hospitals across Gaza continue to receive people killed or wounded by Israeli fire in areas near army positions, including residents living among the rubble of destroyed homes or in tents.

Residents in those areas say they face heavy gunfire from new Israeli positions behind what is known as the “Yellow Line,” along with artillery shelling, demolitions, and airstrikes.

The “Yellow Line” is a temporary boundary established under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10. It separates areas where Israeli forces deploy, about 53 percent of Gaza’s territory, from western areas where Palestinians can move.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said 96 Palestinians have been killed by direct Israeli fire since the ceasefire, including 36 women, children, and elderly people. He said 326 others have been wounded.

According to Gaza’s health authorities, at least 818 Palestinians have been killed and 1,663 others injured in repeated Israeli ceasefire violations since October 10.

The agreement was supposed to halt Israel’s two-year offensive that has killed more than 72,000 people, wounded more than 171,000, and destroyed about 90 percent of civilian infrastructure. The United Nations estimates reconstruction costs at roughly $70 billion.

Emotional farewell

Inside her home, damaged by Israeli bombardment in Beit Lahia, relatives mourned Banat in scenes marked by tears and cries.

Her mother, Samar Banat, wept as she held her grandchildren, saying her daughter was heading to her job at an educational centre with her children when Israeli gunfire struck her.

“Basma was killed, my beloved, my daughter… God, reward me in my tragedy and grant me patience,” she cried.

Her brother, Ahmed Banat, said, “She was going to work, and we were near Beit Lahia Square when heavy gunfire erupted from Israeli vehicles in the morning.”

“I was shocked when her children ran screaming, ‘Our mother has been martyred.’ I went out immediately and found her lying on the ground,” he recalled, saying he struggled to retrieve her body and transport her to the hospital, where she later died.

‘The safe zone is a big lie’

Ahmed rejected the Israeli claim of creating “safe” areas for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

“The safe zone is a big lie. There is no safe place. We face gunfire and shells morning and evening. Our lives have no meaning,” he said, calling for a solution after two years of war.

Her husband, Mousa Warsh Agha, stood beside his four children, holding their youngest, Ibrahim, an infant who slept unaware that he would not see his mother again.

“I am still in shock. What will I do with my children?” he said. “What do I tell them when they ask every day, 'Where is our mother?'”

He said their neighborhood faces daily heavy fire from Israeli vehicles, snipers and artillery, even though it lies outside Israeli control and is classified as “safe” under the ceasefire.

An Anadolu correspondent documented the origins of the gunfire targeting Palestinians near the “Yellow Line” along Gaza’s border.

Footage shows Israeli military sites recently established atop elevated sand dunes overlooking Palestinian residential neighbourhoods. The positions include armoured vehicles and sniper posts equipped with advanced surveillance gear, as soldiers fire toward remaining homes and tents.

In several areas, Israeli forces have installed metal towers mounted with machine guns that fire continuously.

At the same time, there is a constant presence of Israeli quadcopter drones that fire on civilians and drop incendiary devices toward homes.

Heavy machinery and bulldozers continue levelling land at those sites to reinforce Israel’s military presence.

Deliberate, calculated killings

Ismail Al-Thawabteh, director of Gaza Government Media Office, accused Israel of using the ceasefire as a cover to reshape the battlefield.

He said Israel is imposing a new reality through military force and undermining any relative stability that could result from the agreement.

The violations reflect “clear disregard for declared commitments and for regional and international efforts that led to the signing of the agreement,” he said.

He said 96 of the 615 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began died from direct fire by tanks, drones and snipers positioned on or near the “Yellow Line.”

Of the 1,651 wounded, 326 were injured by that fire, he added.

More than 99 percent of those killed, he said, died in areas classified as safe and outside zones Israel declared as buffer areas.

Thawabteh described the incidents as “not isolated cases or field errors, but a repeated pattern of deliberate and calculated killings that reflects premeditated intent to target civilians and impose a continuous equation of fire despite the declared truce.”

He called for urgent action to compel Israel to halt all forms of targeting, establish a clear monitoring mechanism on the ground, and activate legal accountability against those responsible.