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Israel is rapidly constructing a large earthen barrier inside the Gaza Strip, separating the more than half of the territory under its control from areas where most Palestinians now live, according to satellite imagery reviewed by the Associated Press.
More than 23 kilometers (or 14 miles) of the barrier have been built in recent months through Palestinian communities demolished by the Israeli military.
The structure now stretches across a distance equal to more than half the length of Gaza, which is about 40 kilometers long and 11 kilometers wide and is home to more than 2 million Palestinians.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had built a physical barrier along the so-called yellow line, the boundary to which Israeli troops withdrew under the October ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
The U.S.-backed agreement envisioned the yellow line as a temporary division pending a broader Israeli withdrawal. However, as implementation of the truce remains stalled, Palestinians fear the line is becoming a more permanent border.
U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for monitoring the ceasefire, and the Board of Peace led by U.S. President Donald Trump, which is intended to eventually oversee Gaza, declined to comment on the barrier.
The Israeli military said it had also created a security zone around the yellow line equipped with intelligence and technological systems.
It declined to provide details about the barrier’s route or how far construction would extend.
The military said the structure was intended to prevent infiltration and protect Israeli soldiers and Israeli communities near Gaza.
The precise location of the yellow line was not defined in the ceasefire agreement and has not been clearly established by Israeli or U.S. officials. Markings on the ground have also been inconsistent.
The Israeli military said it was working to clearly mark the route to “reduce friction and prevent harm to uninvolved individuals.”
Israeli forces have killed Palestinians who approached or crossed the line. The military says it fires at people believed to be militants posing a threat to troops.
Those killed, however, have included children and other civilians who appeared unaware of the boundary. Some Israeli soldiers have said they did not always know who they were firing at and had orders to kill anyone crossing the line.
Satellite images supplied by Planet Labs PBC showed that a section of the barrier in southern Gaza was extended by more than 2 kilometers over two weeks in July.
The section measured about 500 meters on July 1 but had expanded to roughly 2.4 kilometers by July 15.
It separates the Israeli-controlled ruins of Rafah from Muwasi, where some of the largest Palestinian tent camps are located.
If construction continues in the same direction, the section could connect with the barrier’s longest stretch, which extends almost continuously for about 17 kilometers from Khan Younis in the south toward Gaza City in the north.
Work on that section began in February and appears to be continuing southward.
More than 1 kilometer was added between June 21 and July 7 near an Israeli military base constructed on the ruins of Bani Suheila, close to Khan Younis.
Several disconnected barrier sections have also been constructed in northern Gaza outside the largely destroyed town of Beit Lahia.
The height of the berms remains unclear, while satellite imagery indicates that some sections may extend beyond the yellow line.
Most of Gaza’s population has been pushed into the coastal area west of the yellow line, where many people live in overcrowded and poor conditions in tent camps and depend on humanitarian aid.
On the other side, satellite imagery shows that Israeli forces have destroyed the vast majority of buildings using bulldozers and explosives.
Several towns have been nearly erased, including Rafah, which was once home to more than 250,000 people.
Israeli forces have also built new road networks and military bases on the ruins of Palestinian communities, while agricultural land has been destroyed.
The Israeli military says it is demolishing infrastructure used by Hamas.
Israeli forces have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians since the ceasefire began, most of them in airstrikes and drone attacks across Gaza.
The Israeli military says it targets militants. Militant attacks have killed five Israeli soldiers during the same period.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is eventually expected to withdraw its forces to Gaza’s outer edges and be replaced by an international security force.
Implementation of the agreement has been stalled for months.
A former U.N. diplomat responsible for coordinating the ceasefire has blamed Hamas for failing to disarm. Sporadic negotiations on a formula for decommissioning its weapons have made little progress.
Hamas, meanwhile, accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire.
The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The ministry, which was part of the recently dissolved Hamas-run government, maintains detailed casualty records considered generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations.
It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children account for about half of those killed.
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