Gaza: Palestinians living along the 'Yellow Line' endure daily Israeli attacks
Every night, Hamed drifts off to sleep knowing the explosions and gunfire from Israeli forces will likely jolt him awake several times. He lives along the Israeli-imposed demarcation zone known as the "Yellow Line", where Israeli ceasefire violations have become routine.
"The explosions wake people up every day," the Palestinian man, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, told Middle East Eye. "We also hear bullets whistling overhead. The shooting doesn't stop all night".
Hamed, from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said the gunfire usually begins in the evening and continues until dawn, punctuated by the deafening blasts of homes being demolished beyond the line.
On one occasion, he narrowly escaped death when a bullet struck his home. "Thankfully, it hit the wall. If it had gone through the plastic tarp, one of us would certainly have been hit".
Since the ceasefire was signed in October, Israeli forces have repeatedly violated it through numerous air strikes, shootings, home demolitions and detentions.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces have killed at least 591 people since the truce began four months ago. Many of the killings have occurred near the so-called Yellow Line.
The line stretches across northern, eastern and southern Gaza. It was established under the ceasefire agreement as a temporary withdrawal boundary. Israeli troops remain stationed behind it, controlling up to 58 percent of the territory, pending the next phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, which envisages further Israeli withdrawal.
On the ground, however, residents say the line has been pushed deeper into Gaza, limiting Palestinians’ access to their homes and vital agricultural lands. The shifting boundary has also triggered repeated displacement, leaving families without a stable shelter.
For Hamed, the danger has been drawing closer in recent weeks. What was once nearly two kilometres away is now less than one. With that shift, the intensity of the fire has increased. "Now we see the tank when it approaches, opens fire and pulls back. It's extremely scary," the 25-year-old said.
The threat, he said, is both physical and psychological. With several of his neighbours having been wounded by gunfire while inside their homes, this has created panic in his family.
"My nieces and nephews always run to my father and mother's lap to hide," he said. "We don't dare go up to the roof to light a fire for cooking or hang out the laundry. We gather in a room that faces west, because the army is to the east, to protect ourselves from the shooting".
'No ceasefire here'
Israeli actions along the Yellow Line and in surrounding areas have been condemned by rights groups.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has said Israel’s approach amounts to the "illegal seizure and systematic plundering of the resources" of occupied territory, in violation of international law.
Hamed's experience is echoed across Gaza, not only in Khan Younis. In al-Bureij in central Gaza, the shifting of the Yellow Line recently triggered a fresh wave of displacement.
Khaled, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, has survived multiple attacks, including the bombing of his home. He regularly visits his uncles, who live close to the boundary. Many residents have already left because of what he described as indiscriminate shooting in the area.
"My uncles had to leave their house. It's now right next to the Yellow Line. The gunfire doesn’t stop in the evening or at night," he said.
He recalled a recent visit to check on the property when shooting suddenly erupted. "We hid in a room facing away from the army’s position, then ran when we had the chance. "It happens regularly. Whenever the shooting starts, people wait for a moment to escape".
In the neighbouring al-Maghazi refugee camp, Houida Salim, a mother of six, says gunfire passes over her home almost daily. "The war never finished," she said. "Whenever we hear the roar of tanks, we feel like we're imprisoned in the house. We can't leave. Their bullets hit the house regularly. There is no ceasefire here".
In her area, the Yellow Line has advanced to less than a kilometre away. "We don't hang clothes out to dry on the roof for fear of being targeted by tanks," Salim said. "Sometimes they use silenced gunfire, which is even worse. The children can't play outside safely".
For Salim, there is nowhere left to seek refuge. Her extended family's home in eastern Deir al-Balah is, she says, even more dangerous. "We have been displaced five times during the war. I don’t have anywhere left to go".
