ABNA24 - The repercussions of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip expand far beyond the destruction left behind by raids and shelling, with the continuation of building demolition operations, bulldozing residential neighborhoods, and expanding areas under occupation control, in a scene that redraws the geography of the Strip and narrows the space available for the lives of more than two million Palestinians.
The expert in reconstruction affairs and former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Engineer Naji Sarhan, warned that what is known as the “Yellow Line” has come to devour, according to his estimates, more than 70% of the area of the Gaza Strip, which deprives residents of reaching vast areas of their land, homes, and property, and places additional obstacles before the return of displaced persons and the reconstruction of destroyed areas.
Sarhan said, in an interview with “Al-Resalah Net”, that demolition operations did not stop with the declaration of a ceasefire, but rather continued on a wide scale, especially in areas located behind the Yellow Line, where occupation forces continue to blow up residential buildings and bulldoze neighborhoods that contained thousands of housing units.
He explained that the continuation of these operations aggravates the scale of destruction, and turns wide residential areas into piles of rubble, which reduces the chances of displaced families returning to their original areas, even in light of the cessation of wide military operations.
Destruction continues after ceasefire
The figures provided by Sarhan, based on UN indicators, reveal that urban destruction in Gaza continued to escalate after the declaration of the ceasefire; the number of buildings classified as completely destroyed rose from 123,464 buildings in October 2025, to 134,422 buildings in June 2026, an increase of nearly 11,000 buildings.
He pointed out that these figures are not limited to residential buildings, but include various buildings and facilities, reflecting the widening scope of losses suffered by Palestinian urban structure, and the continued deterioration of the field situation despite the passage of months since the declaration of the calm.
The danger of these indicators does not stop at the number of destroyed buildings, but extends to the huge engineering and financial burdens left behind by blasting and bulldozing operations, in light of the need to remove rubble, examine damaged buildings, and rehabilitate infrastructure networks, before building anew becomes possible.
Sarhan noted that wide parts of the Strip suffered destruction or damage to varying degrees, estimating that around 85% of the urban infrastructure in Gaza was damaged or destroyed, at a time when standing buildings still suffer structural damage that makes using them fraught with risk.
More than two million Palestinians in a narrow space
In parallel with continuous destruction, the expansion of Israeli control imposes a very harsh geographical reality on the population, with the retreat of areas they can reach for living, movement, or resuming their normal life.
Sarhan estimated that the areas used for actual living do not exceed 12% of the total area of the Strip, in light of expanding areas of control, the spread of rubble and tents, and the decline of land available to establish new residential gatherings.
This situation means, according to his estimates, the crowding of more than two million Palestinians into an extremely narrow geographical patch, in which population density increases, especially in the western neighborhoods of Gaza City and displacement areas in the center and south of the Strip.
Thousands of families are forced to reside in tents or damaged buildings, amid a shortage of basic services and damage to water, sewage, and road networks, at a time when options available to displaced persons to find safe and habitable places shrink.
The effect of this narrowing is not limited to daily living conditions, but extends to the future of the population and their right to return to their homes and land, as the continued control over vast areas, and preventing access to them, place direct obstacles before restoring life in areas from which their residents were displaced.
Yellow Line complicates reconstruction
Sarhan stressed that the continued Israeli control over these areas, in conjunction with continuing to demolish buildings and bulldoze residential areas, represents a fundamental obstacle to any serious plan to rebuild the Strip.
He explained that rebuilding cannot be launched effectively in light of the inability to access destroyed land and facilities, the continuation of demolition operations, and the lack of clarity regarding conditions that would allow residents to return to their areas.
These challenges double due to the huge quantities of rubble, the shortage of heavy equipment and engineering machinery, and restrictions imposed on bringing in construction materials, alongside the need for extensive funding to rebuild housing, public facilities, and infrastructure networks.
Addressing this crisis requires, according to Sarhan, moving past temporary solutions limited to providing tents or alternative housing, and moving toward practical steps that allow residents to restore elements of life, foremost among which are stopping demolition and bulldozing operations, the withdrawal of occupation forces from areas they control, and opening the way to remove rubble and repair water, sewage, and road networks.
Return to homes hostage to stopping destruction
Sarhan warned that the continuation of destruction and expanding the scope of Israeli control turn the housing crisis in Gaza into a long-term crisis, and threaten the right of hundreds of thousands of families to return to their homes and original areas.
He emphasized that any international reconstruction efforts will remain limited in effect unless demolition operations stop, restrictions imposed on the Strip are lifted, and Palestinians are able to reach their land and property.
Thus, the Yellow Line does not appear to be merely a field sign separating areas of Israeli control and areas where Palestinians move, but has become an influential factor in the urban and demographic future of the Strip, with control over land overlapping with continued destruction and the shrinking of space available for life.
Under this situation, the battle to rebuild Gaza is not related to providing funds and construction materials alone, but to ending conditions that prevent residents from returning, allow the continued destruction of what remains of their neighborhoods, and turn vast areas of their land into areas impossible for them to reach.
Restoring the right to housing, return, and rebuilding cities and neighborhoods remains linked to stopping destruction, allowing access to lands, and preparing necessary conditions for comprehensive reconstruction that restores to Gazans their right to life on their land.
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