When Ahmed Hamed returned to his home in Gaza City after the ceasefire, it stood about 1.5 kilometres west of the so-called “Yellow Line” enforced by Israel.
Two months on, that distance has shrunk to roughly 200 metres.
“Before the war ended, our home was in a dangerous area, and it was difficult for us to return,” the 31-year-old Palestinian journalist told Middle East Eye.
“We waited two weeks after the ceasefire to make sure it was safe.”
Eventually, the family went back to their house near the Shujaiya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City.
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Almost immediately, the sounds of war returned with them.
“From the first day we came back, we heard bombardment, demolitions and gunfire,” Hamed said.
“It would start at sunset and continue until dawn.”
At first, they assumed the explosions were far away, believing the Yellow Line was still distant.
But now, Hamed can see the yellow concrete blocks placed by Israeli forces from his window – a sight that wasn’t there just weeks ago.
Across Gaza, the temporary demarcation line has been shifting, creeping ever closer to densely populated areas and fuelling fears of renewed displacement and violence by Israel.
‘Fleeing in silence’
The “Yellow Line” is a military boundary that has been unilaterally imposed and marked by Israeli forces inside the Gaza Strip since the US-brokered ceasefire in October.
Designated as a no-go zone, it bars Palestinians from accessing large swathes of land to the north, south and east.
‘Our homes survived two years of genocide, and now people are losing them during the ceasefire’
– Ahmed Hamed, Gaza resident
Since the ceasefire began, the line has steadily expanded westwards, swallowing neighbourhoods and now covering roughly 53 percent of the territory.
Each new advance is marked by yellow concrete blocks placed inside civilian districts.
According to Hamed, thousands of homes lie within the nearly one kilometre between the line’s original position and where it stands today.
After the ceasefire, many families returned to these homes and tried to restart their lives.
“People set up generator lines and even installed the internet,” he explained.
“Then, one night, they woke to heavy gunfire and found a yellow concrete block in the middle of the street. They gathered their belongings and fled under fire in the middle of the night.”
Some families were trapped in their homes for hours due to the heavy bombing before emerging to find the boundary had already shifted.
In total, the line has moved forward by more than a kilometre during the ceasefire, forcing quiet waves of displacement that receive almost no media attention.
“There is a massive wave of displacement, and no one is covering it,” Hamed said.
“Families are fleeing in silence. During the war, people talked about our suffering, which eased the pain slightly. Now, no one is talking.
“Imagine the anguish: we thanked God our homes survived two years of genocide, and now people are losing them during the ceasefire.”
‘It feels like a fire burning through the neighbourhood, and we’re waiting for the flames to reach us. No one can stop this advance’
– Ahmed Hamed, Gaza resident
Hamed’s family home now directly faces the Yellow Line. From his window, he can see Israeli tanks and military vehicles patrolling and firing towards neighbourhoods outside the boundary.
His cousin’s wife, Samar Abu Waked, a mother of three in her 30s, was killed by a bullet to the head at the entrance of the family home – apparently fired by an Israeli soldier from the “Yellow Zone”, according to relatives.
“More than once, I had to crawl with my wife and children from the room overlooking the street to the inner rooms because of the heavy gunfire,” Hamed told MEE.
“It feels like a fire burning through the neighbourhood, and we’re waiting for the flames to reach us. No one can stop this advance.”
Since Israel’s genocidal war began in October 2023, Hamed has been displaced multiple times.
“In earlier displacements, I packed only what we needed, knowing we would eventually return,” the young father said.
But now, he added, he fears displacement will be permanent.
Neighbourhoods turned to rubble
As Israeli forces advance westward, they have used explosive-laden vehicles to demolish multiple residential buildings at once in eastern Gaza, clearing areas and preventing residents from returning.
On Sunday, Israel’s army chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, referred to the Yellow Line as a “new border”.
Under the US-backed ceasefire plan, the Yellow Line is a temporary withdrawal line for Israeli forces, with further pullbacks towards Gaza’s boundary expected in later phases of the agreement.
However, Zamir said the army maintains “operational control over extensive parts of the Gaza Strip” and will remain positioned along those defensive lines.
“The Yellow Line is a new border line, serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity,” he said.
‘Every day, there are advances, air strikes or artillery fire. The displacement never stops – – and all of it happens in total silence’
– Reem Mortaja, Gaza resident
Last month, Shujaiya resident Reem Mortaja was displaced from her home for the 11th time.
“The most deceiving part is that we were allowed to return under the ceasefire agreement, only to find our home severely damaged,” the 27-year-old told MEE.
“Still, we were grateful that some of the walls were standing. We bought new items and did minor repairs, feeling more settled than during our previous displacements.”
But that sense of stability was short-lived.
“Three weeks ago, we had to flee again, and we couldn’t take much with us,” she said.
One morning, her family awoke to find a yellow concrete block placed just metres from their home. They grabbed what they could and escaped.
“A few days after we and our neighbours left, they bombed our homes and reduced the entire neighbourhood to rubble,” she said.
“The world thinks the ceasefire is in effect. But we are still living through phases of war, while the occupation goes uncondemned because it operates quietly and swiftly.
“Every day, there are advances, air strikes or artillery fire. The displacement never stops – and all of it happens in total silence.”
