32 outposts, 10 miles of ground barrier: IDF builds new border line inside Gaza. Here's how it looks

Many of the outposts are located amid the ruins of former agricultural and residential areas. Two were built on sites where mosques stood prior to the war, and another is located on a cemetery destroyed during the fighting. Clearing work is also underway in the Shujaiyeh area, where a cemetery once stood.

Palestinians in Hamas-controlled areas document the outposts and circulate footage on social media and networks such as Al Jazeera. Open-source intelligence researcher Chris Osieck has cross-referenced ground level documentation with some of the outposts' precise locations.

Another manifestation of the consolidation of the separation line are earth berms erected north, east and south of the Hamas-controlled area along the Yellow Line. Their total length exceeds 17 kilometers (10.5 miles), about 40 percent of the line's full length (45 kilometers). Work on these earth berms is progressing and has continued in recent weeks.

The satellite images documenting the IDF's entrenchment were taken in recent months by Planet Labs and cross-referenced with the separation line map published by the IDF for Gazan residents. Almost two and a half years after October 7, the IDF still does not allow journalists to access Gaza freely and document the situation on the ground.

In recent months, the UN Human Rights Office has recorded at least 224 Palestinians killed near or east of the Yellow Line, as of late February. According to the OHCHR, many of those killed appear to have been uninvolved civilians, including dozens of women and children. The office identified an ongoing "pattern of attacks targeting Palestinians apparently only due to their proximity to Israeli forces' deployment lines in Gaza". This, according to the office, would constitute a war crime. The office told Haaretz that some of those killed were shot while attempting to return to their homes, and that civilians risk inadvertently crossing the Yellow Line and entering a line of fire, as it is not clearly marked on the ground and frequently shifts.

In recent months, the IDF has issued dozens of nearly identical statements saying - without providing details - that forces in Gaza "identified a militant who crossed the Yellow Line and approached forces in a manner that posed an immediate threat, and acted to eliminate the threat." Only a few statements specified that the individuals were Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants.

Doctors Without Borders has also linked the Yellow Line to numerous shooting incidents and fatalities. Will Edmond, the organization's head of mission in Gaza, told Haaretz: "Over the past months we have treated many patients who were injured by gunshots and explosives around the Yellow Line while carrying out daily tasks. People don't know exactly where it is and are injured simply by being in the vicinity, or while going to their homes, getting water or collecting firewood."

"Another problem," Edmond added, "is that as the line steadily moves west, essential services such as water points and healthcare sites are being swallowed into the Yellow Line reducing access to basic services."

Reports of civilians being shot near the Yellow Line began immediately after the cease-fire announcement and have continued to appear regularly in Haaretz and international media. Since the cease-fire, nearly 690 Palestinians have been killed across the Strip and more than 1,800 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. During the same period, five IDF soldiers have been killed in fighting in Gaza.

In recent months, Trump has sought to advance his plan, which includes establishing an international stabilization force responsible for internal security in Gaza. However, such a force has yet to materialize. Indonesia, which was expected to contribute troops, recently announced that it was freezing the move due to the war with Iran.

The war with Iran has also diverted attention from efforts to advance the plan. Haaretz reported last week that the United States and mediating countries submitted a proposal to Hamas for a phased disarmament process expected to take months. Meanwhile, Hamas has used the time to consolidate its control, and the IDF remains deeply entrenched inside the Strip.

The IDF Spokesperson said in response to Haaretz that "IDF forces are deployed in the area of the Yellow Line in accordance with the cease-fire agreement, the directives of the political leadership, and the operational situation assessment. The defense concept in the area includes, among other elements, a security zone, a physical barrier, intelligence capabilities, technological means and operational activity. These measures are intended to enable better defense in the area, prevent infiltrations and hostile activity, and protect the forces and nearby communities."

"The area adjacent to the Yellow Line is a sensitive and dangerous operational environment. Signs are posted in the area clarifying that it is forbidden to approach it. The IDF does not act against civilians and does not target civilians solely for being in proximity to the line. The IDF has clear procedures and rules of engagement, including warning measures and escalation protocols, and operates only against hostile forces and immediate threats, in accordance with international law, while taking practical steps to minimize harm to uninvolved civilians as much as possible."

Satellite images: Planet Labs PBC. Graphics: Nadav Gazit