Three Palestinians Killed as Israel Expands Control East of Deir al-Balah

Three Palestinians were killed and two others wounded on Saturday after Israeli artillery shelling targeted the vicinity of Dawla Roundabout in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

Sources at Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli Arab hospitals said the facilities received the bodies of three victims along with two injured people following the attack.

Eyewitnesses said the shelling struck a group of civilians, killing Salem Tawfiq Abu Zour, Ahmed Nimr Abu Zour, and Salem Tawfiq Al-Mubayyid, while leaving two others injured.

The latest attack comes a day after 12 Palestinians were killed and several others, including a young girl, were injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes and attacks carried out since Friday dawn across Gaza City and other parts of the Gaza Strip, in what has been described as continued violations of the ceasefire agreement.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israeli violations of the ceasefire had, as of Thursday, resulted in the killing of 1,127 Palestinians and the injury of 3,643 others.

Expansion of the Yellow Line

In a separate development, Israeli military vehicles, accompanied by a bulldozer, advanced dozens of meters east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza before dawn on Saturday under heavy artillery cover, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.

The sources said an Israeli military engineering unit advanced overnight along Kosofim Road in the Abu al-Ajin area, around Wadi al-Salqa, and east of the Al-Qastal Towers area near Deir al-Balah, while artillery fire continued to cover the operation.

According to the same sources, Israeli forces removed the concrete barriers marking the so-called “Yellow Line” and shifted the boundary approximately 100 meters westward before withdrawing from the area.

By morning, dozens of families reportedly discovered that the “Yellow Line” had been extended beyond their homes, effectively placing their properties within the area controlled by the Israeli military.

The “Yellow Line” is a security zone established by Israel inside the Gaza Strip that bars Palestinians from accessing nearby areas. It currently covers approximately 70% of the territory.