Recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his forces intended to expand their control inside Gaza to 70% of the territory, in a bid to tighten pressure on Hamas and force it to disarm, were not merely media threats. In recent days, they have become a clear reality on the ground. A field review by Asharq Al-Awsat of the situation before and after Netanyahu’s remarks showed that Israel has significantly expanded its control over new areas inside the enclave by pushing the “yellow line” deeper into Gaza. As the war marked 1,000 days since Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said 83% of tunnels behind the “yellow line” had been destroyed so far. He stressed that Israeli forces would not withdraw from the security zone in Gaza. Wide control Four field sources, speaking separately to Asharq Al-Awsat, said Israeli ground control operations had reached almost every part of Gaza, with most extending to Salah al-Din Street, the main road running from the south to the north of the enclave. The sources said the operations hit Khan Younis in southern Gaza from several directions, as well as Deir al-Balah, the village of al-Masdar, al-Maghazi, Wadi Gaza in central Gaza, Kuwait Roundabout, Dawla, the Shujaiyya and Tuffah neighborhoods of Gaza City, Jabalia camp, and al-Atatra in northern Gaza. Displaced Palestinian people walk near the area marked as "yellow line" by the Israeli military, in east of Gaza City, January 16, 2026. (Reuters) The operations have centered on expanding the “yellow line,” which was set as the first withdrawal line under the maps agreed in the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. They have been carried out amid artillery shelling and fire from military vehicles and drones, intended to keep any threat away from advancing forces as they widen Israel’s security control. With this advance, Israel has effectively secured full control from Salah al-Din Street to the border areas it held before October 7, 2023, covering at least 4 to 6 kilometers, depending on the area. Palestinian movement along Salah al-Din Street has stopped completely, especially near areas where the “yellow line” has been pushed forward. The same applies to other areas where new military positions have been established. Their number has reached 40, leaving the coastal al-Rashid Street as the only road linking northern Gaza with the center and south of the enclave. Central Gaza The latest Israeli ground control operation came on Monday in central Gaza, where the “yellow line” was expanded again. Yellow blocks marking the line were moved to just 3 meters east of Salah al-Din Street, at the entrance to Gaza’s only power plant, which has been out of service since the start of the war, one field source said. The operation was carried out amid artillery shelling and major demolitions throughout the night and into early Monday. Drone fire continued without pause, providing cover for ground forces by widening the range of fire to areas on the outskirts of Bureij and Nuseirat camps. A yellow block demarcating the "yellow line," which has separated the Gaza Strip's Israeli-held and Palestinian zones since the October ceasefire, is visible in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. where Hamas militants are searching for the remains of hostages, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP) Days earlier, Israeli forces expanded security control east of Deir al-Balah and the village of al-Masdar. Israeli vehicles advanced into an area known as the factories zone, about 400 meters from the main Salah al-Din Street, carrying out wide-scale bulldozing and demolitions in several areas. A field source said Israeli forces carried out major demolitions because they believed tunnels were located in the area. In recent days, Israel flooded tunnels in al-Masdar and around al-Maghazi camp with cement, it added “There are fears this could extend to entire residential areas, raising concerns that these areas may later be destroyed all the way to Salah al-Din Street, as Israeli forces have done in other parts of Gaza, such as Khan Younis, Gaza City and elsewhere.” Northern Gaza The operations in central Gaza coincided with those in the neighboring towns of al-Atatra and al-Salatin in northwestern Gaza. In recent days, Israeli forces intensified their targeting of the two towns with artillery shelling and, at times, airstrikes, as well as fire from drones and military vehicles, causing deaths and injuries. Several Israeli vehicles advanced into al-Atatra and bulldozed open areas before moving the yellow blocks forward to expand control over the area. Families fled from the vicinity to areas south of the new “yellow line,” but artillery shells followed them in what a second field source described as another attempt to force residents deeper into areas south of northern Gaza, specifically toward al-Saftawi and al-Sudaniya. Days earlier, the “yellow line” had been advanced inside Jabalia camp, specifically in the al-Trans area and near al-Awda Mosque. That allowed Israeli forces to control about half of the camp, which has been almost completely destroyed. Hundreds of families live in displacement camps there. An Israeli soldier occupies a military position overlooking the so-called yellow line in the central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP) Gaza City Before that, the “yellow line” had been pushed forward and Israeli forces had expanded control over new areas in the Zeitoun, Shujaiyya and Tuffah neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City. Israeli forces took control of areas on Salah al-Din Street, making life harder for displaced people living nearby. Demolitions, artillery shelling and drone fire have continued, while drones also drop explosives almost every night in areas where residents remain, in an attempt to force them to leave, according to a third source from the city. Khan Younis The movements in Gaza City coincided with similar advances in Khan Younis from several directions: east, south and northeast. Israel has maintained remote security control by using drones and artillery shelling to target areas around its positions. The attacks have repeatedly caused deaths and injuries, including in tents housing displaced people in al-Mawasi and central Khan Younis.
