Israel is building a miles-long earthen barrier inside Gaza, entrenching
its division
[July 21, 2026]
By LEE KEATH and JULIA FRANKEL
CAIRO (AP) — 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,
further entrenching the division of the tiny Palestinian enclave.
More than 23 kilometers (14 miles) have been constructed in recent
months, running through Palestinian communities demolished by the
military. That is equivalent to more than half the length of the coastal
strip, which is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) long and 11 kilometers (7
miles) wide, and home to over 2 million Palestinians.
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
Palestinian fears that the line is morphing into a 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, would comment on the barrier.
Along with the barrier, the military 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
Since the ceasefire deal took hold, Palestinians in Gaza have feared
Israel would not return the area of Gaza it controls. But few appear to
be aware of the berms now being built around them — because of the
danger of even approaching that area.
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), splicing the Israel-controlled
ruins of the city of Rafah from Muwasi, site of some of the largest
Palestinian tent camps.
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.
Israel has mostly destroyed and depopulated the half of Gaza it
controls
Gaza’s population has been crowded into the coastal area west of the
yellow line, most living in squalid tent camps and dependent on aid.
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A satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows a section of an earthen
barrier being built by the Israeli military in the central Gaza
Strip, July 7, 2026. The Bureij refugee camp is visible on the left,
with the Wadi Gaza stream interrupting the barrier. An Israeli
military base is on the other side. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
On the other side of the line, satellite imagery shows that Israeli
forces have leveled the vast majority of buildings using bulldozers
and explosives, virtually erasing several towns and Rafah, once home
to more than a quarter million people.
They have carved new road networks and erected new bases on the
ruins of Palestinian towns. Agricultural land has also been
destroyed. The Israeli military says it is demolishing
infrastructure used by Hamas.
The yellow line was never precisely defined, whether in the
ceasefire deal or by Israeli or U.S. officials, and it has been
inconsistently marked on the ground. The military told AP it is
working to clearly mark the route of the yellow line to “reduce
friction and prevent harm to uninvolved individuals.”
Israeli forces have killed Palestinians who came close to the line
or crossed it. The Israeli military says it fires on those believed
to be militants threatening its troops. But those killed have
included children and other civilians seemingly unaware of the line.
Some soldiers have said they don’t always know who they are firing
on and have orders to kill anyone crossing the boundary.
Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians since the
ceasefire
Israeli forces have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians since the
ceasefire began, most in airstrikes and drone strikes around Gaza.
The Israeli military says it is targeting militants. Militant
attacks have killed five Israeli soldiers in the same period.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is eventually supposed to withdraw
its troops further to the very edges of Gaza, to be replaced by an
international security force. But implementation of the deal has
been stalled for months.
A former U.N. diplomat now in charge of coordinating the ceasefire
has blamed Hamas’ failure to disarm. Sporadic talks to reach a
formula for decommissioning its weapons appear to have made little
progress, and Hamas accuses Israel in turn of violating the
ceasefire.
The war began after Hamas-led militants 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 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 records viewed as generally reliable
by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not
distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and
children make up around half of all fatalities.
___
Frankel reported from Jerusalem.
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