NPR: Israeli forces have been pushing deeper into Gaza in recent months. At the start of the ceasefire in October, the military controlled around half of the territory, along what is called the "yellow line." Israel's military now controls nearly 70% of Gaza [PALESTINE]

Tents stand amid the rubble of destroyed homes in al-Shujaiya, Gaza Strip, where displaced families endure harsh living conditions inside a new orange zone with nowhere else to go, on May 31.  Anas Baba/NPR

9 months into a ceasefire, Israel now controls nearly 70% of Gaza

July 10, 20265:00 AM ET

By   Anas Baba,  Aya Batrawy 

GAZA CITY [Palestine] — On a small rickety table, under a tent made of worn-out tarps, four friends meet for a game of cards.

One of the older men gripes to the others: "Life is so boring." Like most in Gaza, the group of men are unemployed with no hope on the horizon as President Trump's peace plan, which calls for Israeli withdrawal, new governance in Gaza and Hamas' disarmament, stalls nine months after the ceasefire was brokered.

 Still, the men meet almost every afternoon, about 400 yards from their homes in the neighborhood of al-Shujaiya in eastern Gaza City. But each day, as the sun begins to set, the men have nowhere else to seek shelter and no choice but to return to their bombed-out homes where they hunker down for the night.

"After sunset we put our hand on our heart and just pray," Abu Ahmed Humeid says. "No one dares go outside."

That's because Israeli forces have been pushing deeper into Gaza in recent months. At the start of the ceasefire in October, the military controlled around half of the territory, along what is called the "yellow line."

Israel's military now controls nearly 70% of Gaza, including the area of al-Shujaiya. That's according to comments by Israeli leaders as well as maps indicating areas of restricted access for aid groups that have been analyzed by NPR.

Israeli tanks maneuver around new military posts marked by towering Israeli flags within eyesight of Palestinians in al-Shujaiya.

An expanding militarized "orange zone" 

In mid-March, as the world's attention was focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Israeli troops took control of 10% more of Gaza by designating what they call a new "orange zone" that runs north to south. Israel's military indicated this zone of control in maps distributed to aid groups, which were shared with NPR. Aid groups say the military now requires prior notification to enter these areas. With more than 400 aid workers killed in Gaza throughout the war, aid groups have suspended operations in northern Gaza's orange zone until the situation is fully clarified... READ MORE   https://www.npr.org/2026/07/10/nx-s1-5887357/israel-gaza-war-trump-ceasefire-military-control 

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