Rights center warns of ‘Yellow Line’ advancing toward residential areas in Gaza

GAZA, Oct. 28 (YPA) – The Gaza Center for Human Rights warned on Wednesday against the westward movement of yellow concrete blocks toward residential neighborhoods and displacement shelters, a step that expands military control and further restricts living space for residents.

In a press statement, the rights organization said, “During October, we documented movements of the Yellow Line in Shuja’iyya, east of Gaza City, and near the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, coinciding with shelling, gunfire, and attacks on displacement tents.”

The center noted that the area controlled by Israeli occupation forces—or subject to severe access restrictions—exceeds 70% of the Gaza Strip’s total area, while usable space for residential housing and shelter may not exceed roughly 15%, according to its estimates.

It emphasized that moving the Yellow Line forces families into repeated displacement and deprives residents of access to their homes, agricultural lands, and livelihoods, amid a severe lack of shelter, basic services, and stalled reconstruction efforts.

The organization further warned that the continuation of these practices risks turning repeated displacement into a permanent reality, noting that the forcible transfer of civilian populations is prohibited under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, subject to specific exceptions outlined therein.

The center called on the guarantor states of the ceasefire agreement—led by the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey—to stop the expansion of military control, protect civilians and shelter centers, and guarantee residents’ access to their property and their right to a safe and voluntary return.

YPA