Israel expands control with buffer zones across Gaza, Lebanon and Syria

Mahmoud Abou Roukba, a 42-year-old former worker from Jabaliya in northern Gaza, lives in a tent camp near Al-Mawassi after his house was destroyed and he was barred from crossing the “yellow line” that the Israeli army now treats as an internal border. The “yellow line” was intended to mark the first phase of an Israeli pull-back outlined in an October 2025 cease-fire agreement, but it has been repeatedly violated and effectively becomes a barrier for Gaza’s two-million-plus residents.

In the spring, Israel introduced an “orange line” that expands the restricted zone to roughly 65 % of Gaza’s area. Israeli authorities frame these occupied sectors as buffer zones meant to safeguard national borders, a strategy they are also employing in the south of Lebanon and the southwest of Syria. The expansion limits civilian movement, hampers reconstruction, and deepens Israel’s regional dominance.