Israel Builds Giant Sand Wall, Splitting Gaza in Two

The Israeli military is building a large sand wall across Gaza. Satellite images show the new barrier, which divides the territory into separate zones. The wall is several meters high and stretches for kilometers. It follows the “Yellow Line,” a border drawn after the October 2025 ceasefire with Hamas. Israel has since expanded its control, now occupying more than 60% of the Gaza Strip. Satellite photos from Planet Labs show the wall separating eastern areas, held by Israeli troops, from western areas controlled by Hamas. About 2 million Palestinians are crowded into the western zone. The Associated Press reports that 23 kilometers of the barrier have been built. It passes through areas that were destroyed by Israeli bombing and heavy machinery. The wall rises in empty zones, where only rubble and damaged buildings remain. The Israeli army told the AP that the wall creates a “security zone” with surveillance technology. It says the barrier is meant to stop “infiltrations” by Hamas fighters and protect Israeli troops and communities near the Gaza border. Those communities were attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and starting a two-year Israeli offensive. The Spanish news agency EFE confirmed the construction in southern Gaza. Witnesses say the wall is 10 to 15 meters high. It runs from the coast at Mawasi eastward, parallel to the Yellow Line. The army said it will not give more details for “operational security reasons.” Residents of Mawasi displacement camps told EFE that Israeli troops fired at them during construction. The shooting killed a 9-year-old boy, Moataz, while he was with his mother in their tent. His uncle showed EFE bullet holes in the plastic roof. The bullets hit the boy in the heart. The uncle said shooting happened daily during construction, causing regular injuries among families living in camps. Many Gazans lost their homes in the Israeli bombing campaign that ended in October 2025, killing more than 70,000 people, including over 20,000 children. Violence has continued since then, though at a lower level. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks, many near the Yellow Line. Air strikes against suspected Hamas fighters have increased in recent weeks, often killing civilians, including children. As the Israeli army expands its occupation, Israeli settlers are pushing to re-establish illegal settlements in Gaza. Israel dismantled these settlements in 2005. On Sunday, hundreds of ultranationalist activists marched to the Gaza border fence. They were supported by ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, including the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir. Security forces did not intervene.