Israel Builds 23-Kilometer Earthen Embankment in Gaza Amid Fears of Permanent Border

Satellite imagery analysis reveals the Israeli military is swiftly constructing a 23-kilometer earthen barrier separating its occupied zone in the Gaza Strip from the rest of the Palestinian territory.

Construction of the Physical Barrier

The Israeli army is quickly and quietly building a 23-kilometer-long earthen wall separating the part of the Gaza Strip it occupies from the rest of the Palestinian territory, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday, citing an analysis of satellite images. The Israeli military confirmed to the Associated Press that it is constructing a physical barrier in the area of the so-called yellow line, which separates the portion of the Gaza Strip under Israeli military control from the area administered by Palestinians.

A US-brokered ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip on October 10, 2025. The truce agreement stipulated that Israel would initially remain on 53 percent of the Palestinian territory, though the army reported in mid-July that it occupied 60 percent, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated it would eventually reach 70 percent.

According to the agreement, Israel was supposed to gradually withdraw from the Gaza Strip, but this remains one of several provisions that have not yet been implemented, much like the disarmament of Hamas.

Palestinian Concerns Over a Permanent Border

The yellow line separating the Israeli-occupied zone was never precisely defined or described in documents, nor was it clearly marked on the ground, the AP emphasized. With the peace process at a standstill, Palestinians fear that the line drawn by the Israelis will transform into a permanent border.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows that the earthen wall in some places does not align with the yellow line, and its height is difficult to determine. The structure consists of several short segments in the south, followed by a long, 17-kilometer continuous strip running from south to north.

Work on the barrier is progressing rapidly, with over a kilometer of the structure erected between June 21 and July 7, according to the Associated Press.

Gaza Strip Administration and Devastation

The vast majority of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents remain within the Palestinian zone. In early July, Hamas announced the dissolution of its civil administration, whose tasks are to be assumed by a new technocratic body—the National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip, appointed by Donald Trump’s Peace Council—though the committee has not yet taken tangible action.

The enclave’s territory occupied by Israeli forces is almost entirely razed, with buildings bulldozed or blown up. Israeli forces are building new roads and military bases there, claiming the destroyed infrastructure was used by Hamas, the AP reports.

Meanwhile, several thousand Israeli settlers, accompanied by a group of ministers and Knesset members, arrived on Sunday at a closed military zone on the Gaza border to demand the establishment of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. “They ask me what will happen to the Arabs of Gaza. There will be no Arabs in Gaza,” shouted radical occupation activist Daniella Weiss, known as the “godmother of the settlers,” through a megaphone.

Ongoing Israeli Attacks Despite the Truce

The Israeli military also attacks the Gaza Strip almost daily. Since the truce was enacted, 1168 Palestinians have been killed in such strikes, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday. The Israeli army maintains that the attacks target threatening terrorists, though women and children are among the casualties.

A Tuesday strike killed a family of six, including parents and their four children, Reuters reported, citing local medical sources. The Israeli army confirmed the attack, stating the target was a Hamas operative.