The government media office said in a statement that the military “has expanded the yellow marking area by moving border markers approximately 300 meters near Ash Sharf, An Nazaz and Baghdad Streets.”
The move pushed further into civilian areas, trapping families who were unable to escape as tanks advanced, it added.
Israel announced the move on Wednesday, just one day after it bombed Gaza City and Khan Yunis, killing 25 Palestinians, in violation of a cease-fire agreement, Press TV reported.
The media office said Israel has violated the cease-fire agreement on a daily basis since it took effect on October 10, with more than 400 violations recorded, leaving more than 300 Palestinians dead and hundreds injured.
The paper said that the sudden movement of tanks into eastern Gaza City had trapped “dozens of families” indoors, adding that authorities were “unable to determine the fate” of many of them due to continued shelling.
The “yellow line” refers to the area from which Israeli forces have withdrawn under the ceasefire agreement. This is a non-physical division that runs through the Gaza Strip, dividing the Palestinian territory in half south of Gaza City and north of Khan Yunis.
The news agency called on the ceasefire’s guarantors, Turkey, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, to act immediately to stop “ongoing crimes” and ensure the arrival of food, shelter materials, medical supplies and infrastructure equipment.
Israel has not so far commented on the statement.
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have martyred some 70,000 people (mostly women and children) in the Gaza Strip, injured more than 170,800, and reduced the enclave to rubble.
MNA