In Gaza, Palestinians Under Bombs on the Israeli Side of the "Yellow Line"

In Gaza, Palestinians are under bombardment on the Israeli side of the "Yellow Line."

"Where can we go?" When her children ask her this question, Oum Ahmed is at a loss for words in her ruined village in the southern Gaza Strip, where Israeli military strikes are undermining the fragile ceasefire.

In the Khan Younis region, airstrikes and artillery fire continue in areas east of the city, located on the Israeli side of the "Yellow Line."

This line demarcates the part of the Gaza Strip still occupied by Israeli troops, which accounts for more than half of the territory, from the area from which they have withdrawn as stipulated by the truce agreement with Hamas, effective since October 10.

Here, in the areas held by the Israeli army, tens of thousands of Gazans live in tents or in homes damaged by two years of a deadly and devastating war.

Residents interviewed by AFP fear being forced to leave their village to head west of this new boundary.

"We cannot sleep at night because of fear; the bombings are relentless," says Oum Ahmed, 40.

“My children tremble with every explosion and ask me, ‘Where can we go?’ And I have no answer,” says this mother of five.

Her house is "completely destroyed," but the family has stayed in a tent set up near the home. It’s "easier than facing the unknown," she whispers.

"New Border"

She does not consider crossing the "Yellow Line" to go to the al-Mawassi area west of Khan Younis, where tents stretch as far as the eye can see in makeshift camps housing Palestinians who have fled the fighting.

"There is no room for anyone, nor enough food or water," estimates Oum Ahmed, at a time when Gaza is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis.

Triggered on October 7, 2023, by a Hamas attack on Israeli territory that resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, the war in Gaza has claimed over 70,000 lives, according to data from the Hamas health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN. It has also displaced the overwhelming majority of the 2.2 million inhabitants.

With the ceasefire, a "Yellow Line" running from north to south through Gaza has appeared on negotiation maps, and the Israeli army has retreated to the east.

"The yellow line represents a new border — an advanced defense line for (Israeli) localities and a line of attack," stated the chief of staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, early December in Gaza while addressing reservists.

When asked by AFP about Palestinian fears, the Israeli army did not respond. It regularly announces that it has opened fire on presumed fighters who have attempted to cross this line.

"We will not leave"

For Khan Younis Mayor Alaa al-Batta, who condemns Israeli bombings "in violation of the ceasefire agreement," the strategy is clear.

"These strikes aim to drive the residents away, instill fear in them, and force them to move westward," he accuses. Mahmoud Baraké, 45, reports "relentless" artillery fire and ongoing demolitions of homes.

"The explosions resonate very close," he says. For him too, "the purpose of the (Israeli) occupation is clear: to make us leave, to empty the region."

At 70 years old, Abdel Hamid al-Fara has lived through the successive conflicts between Israel and Hamas.

He, along with five of his children and their families, has stayed near his damaged home in northern Khan Younis rather than heading to al-Mawassi, which "can no longer accommodate" new arrivals.

"We will not leave (...), this is our land," insists the septuagenarian grandfather. "Relocating will not be a solution, but another tragedy."