Gaza Herald – The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that around one-third of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army since the start of the Gaza ceasefire were killed in areas close to the so-called “Yellow Line,” warning that shooting civilians near these zones may amount to “unlawful killings constituting war crimes.”
The UN office said the “Yellow Line,” initially introduced as a temporary field arrangement following the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, has gradually evolved into a de facto geographic boundary imposing severe restrictions on Palestinian movement across the Gaza Strip, amid expanding Israeli military control over large parts of the territory.
According to UN data cited by Reuters, 453 Palestinians were killed between the start of the ceasefire and 5 February, including 152 killed near the “Yellow Line.” The victims included men, women, and children.
The Director of the OHCHR office in the occupied Palestinian territory, Ajith Sunghay, said the available information raises serious concerns that Israeli occupation forces are firing on civilians simply for approaching the area.
He added that such incidents “may amount to unlawful killings and therefore war crimes,” stressing that those targeted posed no immediate threat to Israeli soldiers and were often engaged in daily civilian activities.
Sunghay also noted that the boundaries of the military zone remain unclear to Palestinians, saying: “No one knows exactly where it begins, where it ends, and how it shifts.”
Since the ceasefire agreement, Israel has established a dividing line separating areas of control using concrete barriers, while maintaining military presence east of the line.
However, reports indicate that Israeli occupation forces have continued moving these markers deeper into Palestinian territory, with Israeli maps showing expanded military control covering up to two-thirds of the Gaza Strip.
The expansion has raised growing concern among displaced Palestinians living near the area, many of whom fear that shrinking civilian space is turning their surroundings into active military targets.
Earlier UN reports also warned of the creation of an additional “Orange Line” within the “Yellow Line,” further reducing Palestinian-accessible areas to roughly 38% of the Gaza Strip, significantly deepening the humanitarian crisis.
