Israel is building a miles-long earthen barrier inside Gaza, entrenching its division

A portion of the berm network in southern Gaza was extended by more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in two weeks this month.

By The Associated Press

The Israeli military is quietly but quickly building a giant earthen barrier separating the over 50% of the Gaza Strip it controls from the rest of the territory, according to satellite imagery.

More than 23 kilometers (14 miles) have been constructed in recent months.

That is equivalent to more than half the length of the strip, which is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) long and 11 kilometers (7 miles) wide.

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 Hamas.

The line was envisioned in the U.S.-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 theories that the line is morphing into a more permanent border.

Neither U.S. Central Command, which is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, nor the Board of Peace, the body led by U.S. President Donald Trump meant to eventually oversee Gaza, commented on the barrier.

Along with the barrier, the IDF told AP 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 said the barrier aimed to prevent infiltration and protect Israeli troops and Israeli communities near Gaza.

Construction of the barrier is proceeding rapidly

A portion of the berm network in southern Gaza was extended by more than 2 kilometers (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 kilometers (1.5 miles), slicing the Israel-controlled city of Rafah from Muwasi.

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 kilometers (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 kilometer (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 leveled 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.

Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas is meant to fully disarm while Israel is eventually supposed to withdraw its troops further to the very edges of Gaza, to be replaced by an international security force.

But due to Hamas’s refusal to lay down its weapons and relinquish control of Gaza, the implementation of the deal has stalled for months.

Sporadic talks to reach a formula for decommissioning Hamas’s weapons appear to have made little progress.

The war began after Hamas-led terrorists attacked Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage.

Israel responded with a punishing military offensive that has killed tens of thousands of terrorists.