Israeli troops kill Palestinians for crossing a vague ceasefire line that’s sometimes unmarked

CAIRO (AP) — A sometimes invisible dividing line can mean life or death for Palestinians in Gaza.

People sheltering near the “yellow line” from which the Israeli army retreated October ceasefire They say they live in fear because Israeli soldiers open fire almost daily on anyone passing by or even staying near them.

of 447 Palestinians was killed during the ceasefire On Tuesday, at least 77 people were killed near the line by Israeli gunfire, including 62 who crossed the border. Gaza Ministry of Health. Among them, the Associated Press found, were teenagers and young children.

Although the army has installed some yellow barrels and concrete barriers marking the borders of the Palestinian territory, the line is still unmarked in some places and in others has been drawn about half a kilometer (0.3 miles) deeper than previously determined. agreed in the ceasefire agreementAccording to Palestinians and mapping experts, the part of Gaza controlled by Israel is being expanded.

“We stay away from the barrels. No one dares approach,” said Gaza City resident Ahmed Abu Jahal, noting that the marks were less than 100 meters (110 yards) from his home, rather than roughly 500 meters (546 yards) on the map put out by the Israeli army.

As of Tuesday, the military acknowledged 57 people had been killed around the yellow line, saying most were militants. He said his soldiers followed rules of engagement to counter militant groups and informed Palestinians of the line’s location and marked it on the ground to “reduce friction and prevent misunderstandings.”

It’s easy to get lost

under ceasefireIsrael has withdrawn its troops into a buffer zone that is 7 kilometers (4 miles) deep and covers most of Gaza’s arable land, high points and all border crossings. This traps more than 2 million Palestinians in a strip along the coastline and central Gaza.

People of all ages appear, some of whom are already dead almost every day In the emergency department of Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City bullet wounds Hospital director Fadel Naeem said wandering near the line was avoided.

in the middle Great destruction in GazaNaeem said the boundary line is often not easy to spot. He explained that during his last visit to the southern city of Khan Younis, he chose his route through undamaged roads. He said he didn’t realize he was about to cross the line until locals shouted at him to turn back.

The Israeli army said many of the people it killed while crossing the border posed a threat to its own soldiers. When soldiers cross the line, they give an audible warning and then fire warning shots, according to a military official who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with military rules. However, when warning shots are fired, many civilians retreat some were killedThe official acknowledged this.

Killed while playing close to the line

Zaher Shamia, 17, lived with his grandfather in a tent 300 meters (330 yards) from the line in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. According to the video he took before he died, he was playing near the line with his cousin and some friends on Dec. 10.

Suddenly gunshots rang out and the video stopped. An eyewitness said that soldiers approaching the line with an armored bulldozer opened fire on the young people and shot Zaher.

Zaher’s grandfather, Kamal al-Beih, said a neighbor eventually found Zaher’s bulldozed body: “We only recognized him from the beginning.”

two doctors, Mohamed Abu Selmiya and Rami MhannaHe confirmed that the teenager was killed with a gunshot and then crushed by a bulldozer. The military official said that he was aware that Shamia was a civilian and that the army was investigating the matter.

Maram Atta said that on December 7, her 3-year-old daughter Ahed al-Bayouk was playing with her siblings outside their tent near the yellow line on Gaza’s southern coast. Atta was preparing lentils when he heard the sound of a plane overhead, then gunshots were heard.

A stray bullet quickly approached her and hit Ahed, who died before reaching the clinic.

Atta cried and said, “I lost my daughter in what they always call a ‘ceasefire’.” “What ceasefire are they talking about?”

A military official denied the murder.

fatal uncertainty

The exact location of the line is unclear and varies according to maps published by authorities. Israeli army And white house.

Neither line troops appear to be marking on the ground, according to Palestinians and geolocation experts.

Open source intelligence analyst and consultant Chris Osiek geolocated a number of yellow blocks based on social media videos. He found at least four urban areas in Gaza where soldiers had placed blocks several hundred meters deeper than the yellow line marked on the military map.

“That’s basically what you get when you let Trump make a picture and post it on Truth Social and let the IDF paint its own picture,” he said, using the military’s acronym. “If it’s not a proper system with coordinates that make it easier for people to navigate where it is, then you’re freeing up ambiguity for the IDF to basically interpret the yellow line however they want.”

The military official rejected such criticism and said that any deviation from the map amounted to only a few metres. But for beleaguered Palestinians due to widespread destruction and displacement, every few meters lost means another house they cannot shelter in; They have doubts that he will ever be brought back.

‘The line is getting very close’

Within the scope of the ceasefire, Israeli forces must remain only on the yellow line until a more comprehensive withdrawalbut the agreement does not give a timeline for this. As the next steps in the agreement are delayed and soldiers dig positions on the Israeli side, Palestinians wonder whether they are witnessing a permanent land grab.

In December, Israel’s defense minister described the yellow line as “a new border line that serves as a forward line of defense and operational line of action for our communities.”

The army continued to raze buildings in Israeli-controlled territory, turning already damaged neighborhoods into moonscapes. Last year, almost the entire city of Rafah, on Gaza’s border with Egypt, was destroyed. The army says this is necessary to demolish the tunnels and prepare the area for reconstruction.

Since the ceasefire, destruction in some places has gone beyond the official yellow line. Since November, troops have razed an area in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood that lies about 300 meters (330 yards) outside Israeli-controlled territory, according to Oct. 14 and Dec. 18 satellite photos provided by Planet Labs.

Abu Jahal returned to his damaged home in Tuffah at the beginning of the ceasefire. He said he often saw new yellow barrels appear and the military force out anyone living on their side of the signs.

He said that on January 7, Israeli fire hit a house nearby and the residents had to evacuate. Abu Jahal said his family, including his wife, children and seven other relatives, may also have to leave the country soon.

“The line is getting very close,” he said.