Zeitoun is one of at least five locations across Gaza where residents and Hamas officials say Israel has expanded areas under its occupation in recent days by moving forward the yellow line, a military demarcation established under a US-brokered ceasefire reached in October.
Israel effectively controlled an estimated 64 percent of Gaza by late April, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on 28 May that Israel intends to expand the area under its control to 70 percent of the enclave.
In a statement issued on 20 July, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said an Israeli displacement order in Zeitoun forced 30 families from their tents, which residents said were subsequently destroyed.
Since Israel launched its genocide in Gaza on October 8, 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,000 wounded, while around 90 percent of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.
