Palestinians in Gaza say Israeli forces are continuing to expand military-controlled areas around Gaza City by moving what residents describe as "yellow concrete barriers" farther west, shrinking the territory where civilians can move.
Residents told ynet that the latest shift took place over the past 24 hours near the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, close to Salah al-Din Road, the main north-south artery through the Gaza Strip.
Yellow concrete barriers placed by the IDF mark the edge of a restricted zone near Gaza City
The claims come as Southern Command continues its campaign to push Hamas terrorists deeper into the enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in May that Israeli forces moved to control about 70% of the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli officials, the operation is designed to increase military pressure on Hamas while creating broader security zones for Israeli troops and nearby Israeli communities.
Areas captured by Israeli forces are being cleared of weapons and terrorist infrastructure before being designated as "yellow zones," according to Israeli officials. The campaign has coincided with dozens of targeted strikes against senior Hamas operatives in recent months, which Israel says are intended to increase pressure on the group both militarily and during ongoing ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations, as well as in connection with U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for postwar Gaza.
"Last night the army moved the yellow blocks closer to an area where many displaced families are staying," a Gaza resident living near Salah al-Din Road said. "Many families were forced to flee because the area became extremely dangerous and exposed to strikes, as happened in Shijaiyah and Zeitoun."
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Yellow concrete barriers placed by the IDF mark the edge of a restricted zone near Gaza City
(Photo: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj)
(Photo: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj)
Another Gaza resident told ynet that the concrete barriers have become a visible marker of Israel's expanding military control in eastern Gaza.
"Almost every day, or three or four times a week, they move these blocks from east to west and the area expands," he said. "Most of eastern Gaza has now become yellow."
He said Salah al-Din Road has effectively become the new dividing line, with nearly all territory east of the road now considered under Israeli security control, while most Palestinian civilians have been pushed into the area west of the highway toward the Mediterranean coast.
"The army says it controls 70% of the territory and that Palestinians have only 30% left. That's exactly what we see on the ground," he said.
(Photo: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj)
According to the resident, the barriers mark a line that civilians understand should not be crossed toward the east.
"The army is not always physically present in every location," he said. "It controls the area from nearby positions and can reach Salah al-Din Road within minutes."
Another Gaza City resident echoed that account.
"The army keeps moving the blocks forward," he said. "In some places they have already reached Salah al-Din Road and even crossed west of it. They are expanding the yellow zone and taking more and more land. Once the blocks are placed, everyone understands that everything east of that line is a closed and dangerous area."
(Photo: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj)
Arabic graffiti painted on one a concrete barrier reading: 'Khalil al-Hayya, come move the stone'
Footage circulating from Gaza showed Arabic graffiti painted on one of the concrete barriers reading: "Khalil al-Hayya, come move the stone," an apparent reference to Hamas' new leader, who assumed the position last week after narrowly winning the group's Shura Council vote.
Residents said the shifting barriers have heightened anxiety in eastern Gaza City, where the appearance of the yellow blocks is widely viewed as an advance warning of expanded IDF operations, forcing thousands of people to seek new shelter farther west.