Israel building earthen barrier in Gaza to entrench division of the enclave

The construction of the barrier has fuelled Palestinian fears that most of Gaza will never be relinquished by Israel.Published On 23 Jul 202623 Jul 2026The Israeli army is building a giant earthen barrier to separate the more than 50 percent of Gaza under its control from the rest of the enclave, satellite images show, fuelling Palestinian fears that most of the territory will never be relinquished by Israel.The barrier consists of an earth berm and a trench and extends well beyond the so-called “yellow line” that is supposed to demarcate the border between Israeli-controlled and Palestinian territory under a US-backed ceasefire agreement signed in October 2025, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How will Khalil al-Hayya’s leadership shape Hamas?list 2 of 3Palestine weekly: Ahead of elections, Israel doubles down on attackslist 3 of 3‘Creeping death’: Israel weaponises ‘Yellow Line’ to annex Gazaend of listHaaretz said that in Khan Younis the barrier is about 400 metres (quarter of a mile) past the yellow line, and at one point in the Rafah area it reaches approximately 1,300 metres (4,260 feet) beyond the line.Built over ...