Israel maintaining control deeper inside Gaza than expected, new boundary markers suggest

BBC Verify analysis has found that the Israeli army has exerted more control over Gaza than expected under the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

In the first stage of the agreement, Israel agreed to withdraw to the border along the north, south and east of Gaza. The division was marked with a yellow line on maps published by the military and became known as the “Yellow Line”.

But new videos and satellite images show that the signs placed by Israeli troops in two areas to mark the border were placed hundreds of meters deeper inside the strip than the expected withdrawal line.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who instructed soldiers to place yellow blocks as markers, warned that anyone crossing the line would be “met with fire.” There have already been at least two fatal incidents near the border line.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not respond to the allegations when contacted by BBC Verify, stating only: “IDF troops under Southern Command have begun marking the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip to create tactical clarity on the ground.”

A consistent situation has occurred Lack of clarity on where exactly the limit appliesThree separate maps published by the White House, Donald Trump and the Israeli army ahead of the ceasefire agreement that came into force on October 10.

On October 14, the IDF released the latest version marking the Yellow Line on its online map, which is used to communicate its location to people in Gaza.

But to the north, near the al-Atatra neighbourhood, IDF drone footage showed a line of six yellow blocks inside the Strip, some 520 meters further away than expected on IDF maps.

Footage geolocated by BBC Verify shows workers using bulldozers and diggers to move heavy yellow blocks and place them along the coastal Al-Rashid road.

A similar situation was visible in southern Gaza, where a satellite image taken on October 19 showed 10 signs erected near the city of Khan Younis. The block order varies between 180m-290m within the Yellow Line determined by the IDF.

If these two sections of the border were a typical example of how signs are placed along the entire line, then Israel would be exercising control over a much larger area than expected from the ceasefire agreement.

Several analysts speaking to BBC Verify suggested that the blocks aim to create a “buffer zone” between Palestinians and IDF personnel. One expert said the move would be consistent with a long-term “strategic culture” aimed at isolating Israel from nearby areas it cannot fully control.

Associate professor at King’s College London. “This gives the IDF room to maneuver and create a ‘kill zone’ against potential targets,” said Andreas Krieg.

“Potential targets can be engaged before they reach the IDF’s perimeter. This is like no-man’s land, belonging to no one – and Israel tends to take this land from the opponent’s pile, not its own.”

Speaking to BBC Verify, three experts suggested that the difference between the signs and the IDF map was a deliberate design to warn civilians that they were “approaching an area of ​​increased risk”.

Some blocks “appear to be positioned near roads or walls, making them easier to spot,” said Noam Ostfeld, an analyst at risk consultancy Sibylline.

But a post from Israel’s defense minister to X suggested that the yellow blocks marked the actual line and warned that “any attempt or violation to cross the line will be met with fire.”

There is already confusion among Gazans about where it is safe to go.

Abdulkadir Ayman Bakr, who lives near the temporary border in the Shejaiya district in eastern Gaza City, told the BBC that although Israel had promised clear signs, he had not seen any of them delivered.

“Every day we can see Israeli military vehicles and soldiers at relatively close range, but we have no way of knowing whether we are in a place considered a ‘safe zone’ or an ‘active danger zone’,” he said.

“We are constantly exposed to danger, especially because we are forced to stay here because this is where our home once stood.”

Since the ceasefire came into force, the IDF has reported numerous cases of people crossing the Yellow Line. In all cases, the IDF said it opened fire on those involved.

BBC Verify has obtained and geolocated footage showing the aftermath of an incident on 17 October in which the Hamas-run Civil Defense agency said it killed 11 civilians, including women and children, all reportedly from the same family. The agency said that the Palestinian vehicle was targeted by Israel after crossing the Yellow Line in the Zeitoun district in the east of Gaza City.

Footage shows rescue workers examining the charred remains of a vehicle and covering the badly mauled body of a nearby child with a white sheet. BBC Verify geolocated the video to a point approximately 125 meters above the Yellow Line marked on maps by the IDF.

The IDF said warning shots were fired at a “suspicious vehicle” that crossed the line. In the statement, it was stated that the soldiers opened fire “to eliminate the threat” after the vehicle could not be stopped.

Meanwhile, the legal status of the border is also questioned.

Professor of Public International Law at the University of Bristol, Dr. “Israel’s obligations under the law of armed conflict do not end even for those who violate the Yellow Line,” Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne said.

“It may only target enemy combatants or those directly involved in hostilities, and in doing so must not cause undue harm to civilians.”

An Israeli military spokesman said in a statement: “IDF units under Southern Command continue their activities to eliminate any threats to soldiers and defend civilians of the State of Israel.”

They added that concrete blocks were “placed every 200 metres”.

Israel launched a military operation in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attack in which Hamas-led gunmen killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.

At least 68,280 people have been killed in Israeli offensives in Gaza since then, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Additional reporting by Erwan Rivault, Lamees Altalebi and Maha El Gaml