The Gaza Centre for Human Rights has warned against the occupation's movement of the yellow concrete blocks westward toward residential neighbourhoods and displaced persons' shelter areas in the Gaza Strip, explaining that these movements expand Israeli military control and reduce the spaces available to residents.
In a statement, the centre said it documented during the month of October movements of the yellow line in the Shujaiya area east of Gaza City and around the Maghazi camp in the central Strip, in conjunction with shelling, gunfire and the targeting of displaced persons' tents.
It explained that the area controlled by Israeli occupation forces or subject to strict access restrictions exceeds 70 percent of the Strip's area, while the area available for residential use and sheltering displaced persons, according to its estimates, is about 15 percent of the total area.
The centre noted that moving the yellow line pushes families into repeated displacement and deprives residents of access to their homes, agricultural land and sources of livelihood, at a time when the Strip suffers an acute shortage of shelter and basic services amid the continued disruption of reconstruction efforts.
It warned that the continuation of these practices could turn repeated displacement into a permanent reality, noting that forced transfer of civilian residents is prohibited under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, taking into account the exceptions defined by the convention.
The centre called on the guarantor states of the ceasefire agreement, foremost among them the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, to halt the expansion of control, protect civilians and shelter centres, and ensure residents can access their property and return to it safely and voluntarily.
