The Israeli military is quietly but quickly building a giant earthen barrier separating over 50 percent of Gaza it occupies from the rest of the territory, according to satellite imagery gathered by Planet Labs PBC, further entrenching the division of the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
More than 23 kilometres (14 miles) have been constructed in recent months, running through Palestinian communities demolished by the military. That is equivalent to more than half the length of the coastal enclave, which is some 40 kilometres (25 miles) long and 11 kilometres (7 miles) wide, and home to over 2 million Palestinians.
When presented with the satellite images, Israel’s military confirmed to The Associated Press it has built a physical barrier in the area of the so-called “Yellow Line”, the boundary to which Israeli troops withdrew under the October ceasefire deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
The line was envisioned in the US-backed agreement as a temporary division of the territory pending a fuller Israeli withdrawal.
But as the truce stagnates, it appears Israel is digging in, heightening Palestinian fears that the line is morphing into a border.
Neither US Central Command, which is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, nor the Board of Peace, the body led by US President Donald Trump meant to eventually oversee Gaza, would comment on the barrier.
Along with the barrier, the Israeli military said it has developed a “security zone” around the line, equipped with intelligence and technological assets. It declined to give details on the route of the barrier when asked how far it would be extended.
It claimed the barrier aimed to prevent infiltration and protect Israeli troops and Israeli communities near Gaza.
Construction of the barrier is proceeding rapidly
Since the ceasefire deal took hold, Palestinians in Gaza have feared Israel would not return the area of Gaza it occupies. But few appear to be aware of the berms now being built around them because of the danger of even approaching that area.
A portion of the berm network in southern Gaza was extended by more than 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) in two weeks this month, according to the satellite images provided by Planet Labs PBC.
The berm was about 500 meters (0.3 miles) long on July 1. By July 15, it was about 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles), splicing the Israel-controlled ruins of the city of Rafah from Muwasi, site of some of the largest Palestinian tent camps.
If construction continues in its current direction, it will join up with the longest stretch of the barrier, which runs nearly unbroken for around 17 kilometres (10 miles) from the southern city of Khan Younis to near Gaza City, in the north.
Construction began on that stretch in February, and it appears work to extend it further south is continuing, according to the satellite images.
More than a kilometre (0.6 miles) was added between June 21 and July 7, running close to an Israeli military base built on the ruins of the town of Bani Suheila, near Khan Younis.
In the far north of Gaza, several unconnected stretches of berms run just outside the largely levelled town of Beit Lahia.
The height of the berms in each place remains unclear. In some places, the barriers appear to run outside the Yellow Line.
Israel mostly destroyed, depopulated half of Gaza it controls
Gaza’s population has been crowded into the coastal area west of the Yellow Line, most living in squalid tent camps and dependent on aid.
On the other side of the line, satellite imagery shows that Israeli forces have levelled the vast majority of buildings using bulldozers and explosives, virtually erasing several towns and Rafah, once home to more than a quarter million people.
They have carved new road networks and erected new bases on the ruins of Palestinian towns. Agricultural land has also been destroyed.
The Israeli military says it is demolishing infrastructure used by Hamas. However, the international community argues that Israel is using that as a pretext to expand its occupation.
The Yellow Line was never precisely defined, whether in the ceasefire deal or by Israeli or US officials, and it has been inconsistently marked on the ground.
Israeli forces have killed Palestinians who came close to the line or crossed it.
The Israeli military says it fires on those believed to be fighters threatening its troops. But those killed have included children and other civilians seemingly unaware of the line.
Israel kills Palestinians despite ceasefire deal
Israeli forces have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians since the ceasefire began, most in air strikes around Gaza.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is eventually supposed to withdraw its troops further to the very edges of Gaza, to be replaced by an international security force.
But implementation of the deal has been stalled for months.
Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians — mostly children and women — and wounded over 120,000 in its genocidal war.
