A yellow block demarcating the 'yellow line,' which has separated the Gaza Strip's Israeli-held and Palestinian zones since the October ceasefire, in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, in December, 2025.Jehad Alshrafi/The Associated Press
Osama Abu Saeed’s day is controlled by careful decisions related to safety and survival: when to leave his house, how far he can go and how long he can stay outside.
Mr. Abu Saeed, 30, lives about 100 metres from the yellow line, which cuts through the Gaza Strip and demarcates territory controlled by the Israel Defense Forces from Hamas-controlled areas. The impact of the boundary is present in every detail of his life, he said.
“There is no normal movement here. Every step needs a risk assessment,” he said. “We watch the sky more than we watch the road.” As he spoke, the sound of drones continued and mixed with occasional gunfire.
The Israeli military withdrew to the yellow line in the first phase of the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas and brokered by the U.S. in October, which brought to a halt the two-year war which began with Hamas attacking Israel.
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As phase two kicks off, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of two boards of peace comprising international experts and world leaders – including Prime Minister Mark Carney who has agreed in principle to join the “Board of Peace” initiative – to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, many Palestinians in Gaza say the violence hasn’t stopped. Despite the ceasefire, the Yellow Line is a potent symbol of the ongoing, low-level war.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, since the ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 10, 447 Palestinians have been killed. At least 77 of them were killed by Israeli fire near the yellow line, including 62 Palestinians who attempted to cross it.
The line starts in the north of Gaza, passes through central areas and reaches the outskirts of Rafah in the south. Its depth is not fixed – in some areas the line extends about two kilometres and in others it reaches up to seven kilometres deep, absorbing between 50 and 58 per cent of Gaza’s land by classifying it as high-risk combat zones. Israeli military forces are stationed in areas including eastern Gaza City neighbourhoods such as Shuja’iyya, Al-Tuffah and Al-Zeitoun, as well as northern towns like Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, and southern areas in Rafah and eastern Khan Younis.
Displaced Palestinians shelter at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.HASEEB ALWAZEER/Reuters
Initially an invisible boundary, the Israeli army later placed large yellow concrete blocks to mark the yellow line physically on the ground. Palestinians are prevented from accessing their homes and farms that fall within it. Anyone trying to go near the line faces gunfire, drones and tanks.
Mr. Abu Saeed said the line shifts constantly, making it difficult to assess where to walk for fear of accidentally crossing over.
“We know it has changed when the gunfire gets closer, or when we see yellow barrels dropped by drones to mark a new reality,” he said. “It moves forward and backward without any announcement.”
Hazem Al-Awawda, 25, is among those whose home is inside Israeli-held territory.
Displaced Palestinian students in a tent near the 'yellow line' in Beit Lahiya.Mahmoud Issa/Reuters
“Getting close to the house or staying there became extremely dangerous,” he said. “The shelling did not stop and the constant drones, artillery fire and direct gunfire forced us to leave again.”
The eastern areas under Israeli control belong to hundreds of small Palestinian farmers who inherited the land over generations. Farmers lost their main source of income and have had to rely on aid or move to safer areas inside Gaza.
“We just want people to understand that we are not numbers, we are human beings,” said Mr. Al-Awada. “We have homes, land and the right to live in peace. The Yellow Line is not just a line on a map. It has become a barrier between us and our lives.”