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Yellow Line expands west
Palestinians in Gaza say Israeli forces are continuing to expand military-controlled areas around Gaza City by moving what residents describe as "yellow concrete barriers" farther west, shrinking the territory where civilians can move.
Residents told ynet that the latest shift took place over the past 24 hours near the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, close to Salah al-Din Road, the main north-south artery through the Gaza Strip.
The claims come as Southern Command continues its campaign to push Hamas terrorists deeper into the enclave, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in May that Israeli forces moved to control about 70% of the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli officials, areas captured by Israeli forces are being cleared of weapons and terrorist infrastructure before being designated as "yellow zones," and residents say the concrete blocks have become a visible marker of expanding control.
One Gaza resident living near Salah al-Din Road said, "Last night the army moved the yellow blocks closer to an area where many displaced families are staying."
Families trapped near boundary
For families living near Gaza’s Yellow Line, The New Arab describes nights defined by the question of whether they will survive until morning or face another attack.
Mai Murshid, a 38-year-old mother of four, told The New Arab that she has become accustomed to running for cover when a quadcopter appears above her near the Yellow Line.
The New Arab says the Yellow Line was demarcated as part of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement in October 2025, marking the boundary between areas under Israeli control and remaining Palestinian-held parts of Gaza.
Mai said, "I no longer have the option of staying or leaving," and she added, "The lack of available places forces us to remain despite the danger."
The New Arab also reports that Mai believes the Yellow Line is part of a wider effort by Israel to force Palestinians out of the area entirely, quoting her: "The Israeli occupation wants us to abandon the area and leave."
Displacement, fear, and control
The New Arab reports that Mai has been displaced more than 15 times since the war began, after losing her home in Tel al-Hawa during the early stages of the genocide, and she now lives temporarily in al-Tuffah, east of Gaza City, close to the Yellow Line.
It says Jalal Arafat, 53, a farmer and father of nine, spends his nights 100 metres from the line, listening for gunfire rather than waiting for the sunrise.
Jalal told The New Arab that what is happening is "not merely military operations, but a systematic plan to displace the population of the Gaza Strip."
In parallel, ynet reports that residents say Salah al-Din Road has effectively become the new dividing line, with nearly all territory east of the road considered under Israeli security control while most Palestinian civilians are pushed west toward the Mediterranean coast.
A Gaza City resident quoted by ynet said, "Once the blocks are placed, everyone understands that everything east of that line is a closed and dangerous area."
