Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza City

Gaza City, Dec 14: As Israeli forces push the so-called “Yellow Line” deeper into Gaza, residents who returned home after the US-brokered ceasefire are facing renewed fear and displacement. For journalist Ahmed Hamed, his family home in eastern Gaza City, once 1.5 km from the Yellow Line, now lies just 200 metres away.

Hamed, 31, recounted to Middle East Eye that the family waited two weeks after the ceasefire to ensure it was safe before returning. “From the first day we came back, we heard bombardment, demolitions, and gunfire. It would start at sunset and continue until dawn,” he said.

The Yellow Line, a temporary military boundary imposed unilaterally by Israel since October, has steadily expanded westward, now covering approximately 53 percent of Gaza and encroaching on densely populated areas. Concrete blocks marking the line have appeared in streets, forcing many families to flee in the dead of night, often under heavy gunfire.

Hamed described the silent displacement: “People woke to heavy gunfire and found a yellow concrete block in the middle of the street. They gathered their belongings and fled. There is a massive wave of displacement, and no one is covering it.” His cousin’s wife, Samar Abu Waked, was reportedly killed by gunfire from the Yellow Zone, highlighting the ongoing dangers.

Explosive-laden vehicles and targeted demolitions have destroyed multiple residential buildings in eastern Gaza, preventing residents from returning. Shujaiya resident Reem Mortaja, 27, shared that she has been displaced 11 times since the war began in October 2023. “We returned under the ceasefire, repaired our home, only to flee again when a yellow block appeared near our door. Soon after, the neighbourhood was reduced to rubble,” she said.

Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir of the Israeli army referred to the Yellow Line as a “new border” and said operational control will be maintained along these lines, despite ceasefire agreements.

Residents say the advance of the line, ongoing airstrikes, and artillery fire have made the ceasefire tenuous. “The world thinks the ceasefire is in effect, but displacement never stops – and it happens in total silence,” Mortaja added.

The creeping expansion of the Yellow Line underscores the precarious situation in Gaza, with families returning under ceasefire only to confront renewed danger and the possibility of permanent displacement.