El Ciudadano
Original article: Israel’s New Sand Wall: A Divisive Barrier Confining 2 Million Palestinians in Gaza
Original article: The new border imposed by Israel: a sand wall divides Gaza and confines 2 million Palestinians
Israel escalates its military operations against Gaza with a sand barrier that segregates the region and restricts two million Palestinians to an increasingly constricted area.
In recent months, the Israeli military has constructed a multi-meter-high barrier along the so-called Yellow Line, a de facto border that not only divides Gazan terrain but also signifies a new phase in an occupation that already encompasses over 60% of the Strip, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatening to expand this to 70%.
The development of this sand structure, with 23 kilometers completed so far, illustrates a strategy of silent and gradual annexation that, according to the Associated Press, includes areas taken by Israeli forces that have suffered destruction from ongoing bombardments and heavy machinery.
«Some images reveal that the barrier is being built in uninhabited regions, where only debris or unusable infrastructure remains,» reported ElDiario.Es.
According to satellite data from Planet Labs, the wall stretches across significant sections of the Palestinian enclave, creating a stark divide between the eastern areas controlled by Israeli forces and the western territories. This infrastructure is the culmination of a 20-point plan imposed by the United States as part of the October 2025 ceasefire, which promised an Israeli withdrawal that has yet to materialize and on which the Trump administration did not push for adherence.
Tel Aviv claims that the wall, equipped with surveillance technology, aims to prevent «infiltrations» by Hamas militants and safeguard its troops and nearby communities. However, the wall, rising between 10 to 15 meters high, not only confines the Palestinian population—approximately 2 million people crammed into the west—but also transforms the area into a death zone.
Witnesses and relatives have informed EFE that troops routinely fire upon the displaced persons’ camps in Mawasi, located to the south, during construction operations. One incident involving gunfire, which pierced the plastic roof of a tent, tragically took the life of a 9-year-old boy named Moataz while he was with his mother.
Escalating Violence
The construction of the barrier has coincided with a rise in violence that has resulted in over 1,100 Palestinian fatalities since the «intense Israeli bombing campaign that concluded in October 2025, leading to more than 70,000 deaths, including over 20,000 minors,» reported El Diario.Es.
The report highlighted that airstrikes targeting alleged Hamas positions have intensified near the Yellow Line, where civilians—including children—often fall victim.
The situation becomes even more precarious with the revival of the settler movement. Hundreds of ultranationalist activists, backed by ministers like the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, have marched to the border fence advocating for the re-establishment of illegal settlements in Gaza, which were dismantled in 2005.
The absence of intervention by Israeli security forces in response to this provocation suggests an official complicity that positions the sand barrier as the starting point of a new and perilous phase of colonization. What began as a temporary barricade is evolving into the foundation for a new political landscape in Gaza, enforced by power, where separation and confinement are now the standard.
Featured image: EFE Agency.
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