Israel occupying 62% of Gaza as it expands control beyond ceasefire limits: Hamas 

A senior Hamas official has said that Israeli occupation forces are expanding their control in the besieged Gaza Strip beyond the boundaries set by the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.

On Sunday, Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, stated that Israel has shifted a newly imposed “orange line” by an additional 8% to 9% into Palestinian territory. 

This move has increased the area under Israeli control to more than 62%, leaving Palestinians with roughly 38% of the blockaded Strip.

The expansion has drastically reduced living space for Palestinians and worsened an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

It follows Israel’s earlier establishment of the so-called “Yellow Line,” which originally defined the limits of its military deployment under the first phase of the truce.

Local sources report that Israeli markers have been gradually moved deeper into Gaza, effectively redrawing the boundaries on the ground.

This advance has triggered fresh waves of displacement, especially in Khan Yunis, eastern Gaza City, and parts of northern Gaza.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed the development, noting that Israeli authorities have introduced a new boundary beyond the “Yellow Line” — now referred to by humanitarian teams as the “orange line.”

“Now there’s another color line. A so-called orange line has been presented to our humanitarian colleagues,” Dujarric said.

He added that UN teams were informed any movement beyond this line must be coordinated in advance with Israeli authorities.

How Israel is redrawing Gaza, Lebanon borders by establishing ‘yellow lines’

In Gaza, the Israeli regime is expanding its yellow line deeper into the territory.

Under the ceasefire agreement, the “Yellow Line” was intended to separate zones of Israeli military presence in the east from areas where Palestinians could remain in the west, originally covering about 53% of the territory. However, Palestinian sources say Israel has steadily pushed this boundary westward in recent months.

Instead of withdrawing as required by the agreement, Israeli forces continue to seize more Palestinian land across Gaza.

For Palestinians, these layered “lines” are shrinking their living space and reshaping life in the Strip. 

More than two million people are now confined to ever-narrower areas amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions and ongoing restrictions.

Analysts warn that these evolving boundaries risk becoming a permanent reality on the ground.

Earlier this year, Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir described the “Yellow Line” as a “new border line.” 

In March, the Israeli regime’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that more than half of Gaza was already under Israeli control.

Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, killing hundreds of Palestinians and injuring thousands more since it took effect.

The truce was intended to end a two-year Israeli genocidal war on Gaza that killed over 72,500 Palestinians, wounded 172,000 others, and destroyed nearly 90% of civilian infrastructure.

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