War-hit Gazans fear renewed displacement after airstrikes

Residents say the strikes have targeted neighbourhoods east of the so-called Yellow Line — a demarcation established under the truce between Israel and Hamas

- KHAN YUNIS

When her children, trembling with fear, ask where the family can go to escape Israel's continued bombardment in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis area, Umm Ahmed has no answer.

In her small, devastated village near Khan Yunis city, recent Israeli drone and artillery strikes shattered the tenuous sense of peace delivered by a ceasefire that has largely held since Oct.10.

Residents say the strikes have targeted neighbourhoods east of the so-called Yellow Line - a demarcation established under the truce between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli military says its troops are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire framework, accusing Hamas of “crossing the Yellow Line and carrying out terrorist activities.”

More than two years after Hamas’s Oct.7 attack on Israel sparked a devastating war, tens of thousands of Gazans still live in tents or damaged homes in these areas, where the Israeli army maintains control and operates checkpoints.

Now, many fear being forced from their homes, compelled to move west of the Yellow Line.

“We don't sleep at night because of fear. The bombardments in the east are relentless,” said Umm Ahmed, 40.