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New evidence suggest that Israel's defense troops are exercising authority over a larger territory within the Gaza Strip than previously expected under the truce agreement.

This Truce Deal and the Yellow Boundary

Under the first stage of the deal, Israel committed to retreat to a demarcation border running along the northern, southern, and eastern sides of the Gaza Strip. The boundary was designated by a yellow line on official charts released by the military and has become known as the "Demarcation Line."

However, new footage and satellite images show that markers placed by Israeli troops in several locations to designate the boundary have been placed hundreds of meters further within the territory than the expected pullback line.

Government Statements and Advisories

Israeli Defence Official Israel Katz—who instructed troops to place the yellow markers—warned that anyone approaching the line "would be met with gunfire." There have already been at minimum two fatal events close to the demarcation line.

When contacted, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not address the claims, stating simply that: "Israeli troops under the military command have started designating the demarcation in the Gaza to establish operational understanding on the ground."

Lack of Precision and Uncertainty

There has existed a ongoing absence of precision regarding the exact location exactly the demarcation will be established, with multiple different charts posted by the U.S. administration, Donald Trump, and the Israeli military in the lead-up to the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10.

As of 14 October, the IDF released the latest edition showing the demarcation on their digital map, which is employed to convey its stance to people in Gaza.

North and Southern Gaza

In the north, adjacent to the al-Atatra neighbourhood, aerial footage from the Israeli military showed that a row of several distinctive markers were as much as 520m further inside the Strip than would have been expected from the IDF maps.

Footage verified showed workers operating heavy machinery and excavators to move the large yellow blocks and position them along the coastal al-Rashid route.

A similar scenario was visible in southern the Gaza Strip, where a aerial image taken on October 19 showed 10 markers placed near the city of Khan Younis. The line of markers ranges between 180 meters-290m within the Yellow Line set out by the Israeli military.

Analysts Interpretation

Multiple experts indicated that the markers were designed to establish a "buffer zone" between Palestinians and IDF forces. An analyst said the move would be in line with a long-term "strategic culture" that seeks to protect the state from nearby areas it does not completely control.

"This provides the IDF room to manoeuvre and create a 'kill zone' against possible threats," Dr Andreas Krieg said. "Potential targets can be engaged prior to they approach the military boundary. It is a bit like unclaimed territory that doesn't belong to either side—and Israeli authorities tends to take that territory from the opponent's chunk rather than its territory."

Several experts proposed that the difference separating the indicators and the IDF map was an intentional design to warn residents they are "entering an area of increased risk."

Noam Ostfeld noted that some markers "seem to be placed near roads or barriers, rendering them more straightforward to identify."

Resident Confusion and Incidents

Exists already confusion within Gazans over locations where it is safe to go.

Abdel Qader Ayman Bakr who lives close to the interim demarcation in the eastern section of Gaza City Shejaiya district stated that, notwithstanding assurances from Israel of visible indicators, he had seen no such markers put in place.

"Daily, we can see Israeli army equipment and personnel at a fairly close distance, but we have no means of determining whether we are in what is considered a 'safe zone' or 'a hazardous location'," he explained. "We're constantly vulnerable to danger, particularly since we are forced to remain here since this is where our residence once stood."

After the truce was implemented, the Israeli military has documented a series of instances of people approaching the Yellow Line. On each occasions the IDF said it fired upon those involved.

Video obtained and verified depicted the consequences of one incident on 17 October, which the Hamas-run Civil Defence authority said resulted in the deaths of 11 non-combatants—comprising females and minors all reportedly from the identical family. The authority stated the local car was targeted by Israel following crossing the Yellow Line east of Gaza City in the Zeitoun neighbourhood.

The video displayed emergency personnel examining the burnt out remains of a car and shrouding a adjacent badly-mangled body of a child with a white sheet. Verification located the footage to a location approximately 125 meters over the Yellow Line marked on charts by the IDF.

The Israeli military stated warning rounds were fired at a "suspicious car" that had crossed the line. The statement noted after the car failed to halt, soldiers engaged "to remove the danger."

Juridical Status and Responsibilities

At the same time, the juridical status of the boundary has also been questioned.

"The state's responsibilities under the law of hostilities do not cease including for those violating the demarcation," said Dr Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne. "The military can solely target hostile combatants or those directly participating in hostilities, and in so doing it must not cause excessive non-combatant harm."

In a statement, an Israeli military representative stated: "Israeli forces under the Southern Command continue to operate to remove every danger to the troops and to protect the residents of the State of the country."

They further that the concrete blocks are "positioned every 200 metres."

Context and Casualties

Israel launched a defense campaign in Gaza