UN warnings of war crimes committed by the occupation near the 'Yellow Line' in Gaza

The United Nations Human Rights Office has issued strong warnings regarding the practices of the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip, describing systematic killings near the armistice line as amounting to war crimes. Reports clarified that the direct targeting of Palestinian civilians is concentrated near what is known as the 'Yellow Line,' a demarcation line established after the US-sponsored ceasefire in October 2025.

Exclusive data shared by the international organization with journalistic sources revealed that nearly a third of the Palestinian victims who have fallen since the truce began were killed in areas adjacent to the demarcation line. These figures reflect the extent of ongoing violations of the agreement, with the UN documenting 453 confirmed targeting incidents from the signing of the agreement until February 5th.

According to detailed statistics, 152 Palestinians were martyred in the vicinity of the 'Yellow Line' alone, including 102 men, 15 women, and 35 children of both sexes. This data confirms that the occupation's fire does not distinguish between age groups but targets anyone approaching areas classified by the army as a security zone, despite them being inhabited Palestinian lands.

For his part, Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied territories, stated that field information raises serious concerns about the Israeli occupation army's rules of engagement. Sunghay pointed out that soldiers fire live ammunition at civilians merely for being near the Yellow Line, emphasizing that the victims were carrying out their normal daily activities and posed no significant military threat.

On the ground, reports observed the occupation army's gradual 'nibbling' of Palestinian lands by placing massive concrete blocks to demarcate new borders. These borders are constantly moving deeper into areas managed by the local administration in Gaza, which has led to a reduction in available space for residents and confined them to a narrow coastal strip that does not meet the minimum requirements for life.

Updated field maps indicate that the occupation's military influence has expanded to include nearly two-thirds of the Gaza Strip under the pretext of establishing 'buffer zones.' The occupation aims with this policy to isolate population centers and turn them into besieged enclaves, which Israeli officials describe as security measures to deter attacks, while international law views it as forced displacement and disguised occupation.

In a related context, the US-brokered ceasefire failed to put an end to political and military assassinations, as the occupation continued to repeatedly violate the truce. Occupation forces carried out assassination operations targeting two resistance leaders in the past two weeks, putting the fragile agreement on the verge of total collapse in the absence of international guarantees.

Data from health authorities in Gaza indicates that the total number of martyrs since the signing of the October agreement has reached approximately 900 as a result of scattered raids and sniping operations. In contrast, the occupation army admitted to the killing of only four of its soldiers during the same period, which shows the vast difference in the scale of human losses and the extent of the occupation's military might against unarmed civilians.

Residents of the Gaza Strip, especially those displaced in camps and destroyed homes, live in a state of constant terror for fear of being considered legitimate targets by the occupation as a result of the continuous geographical expansion of buffer zones. Human rights advocates call for urgent international intervention to stop the policy of spatial expansion practiced by the occupation, which aims to change the demographic and geographical reality of the Strip under the guise of the truce.

The information raises serious concerns that the occupation army is shooting and killing civilians merely for being near the Yellow Line, without posing any real danger.