On December 8, gunfire was reported near the so-called “Yellow Line” in Gaza. This line, imposed by Israel and marked with concrete blocks, separates the area controlled by the occupying army from the zone where the surviving Palestinians are crowded together.

Since the supposed “ceasefire” of October 10, the reality has been quite different: the attacks never stopped, and dozens of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over the past two months. On December 8, the official Israeli army account claimed that “terrorists had crossed the line,” justifying the opening of fire. Hours later, it emerged that the victim was Ahed al-Bayouk, a three-year-old girl struck in the coastal area of Mawasi, in southern Gaza.

Beyond this crime, the situation points to something even more alarming: the formalization of Gaza’s annexation. On December 7, Israel’s Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, announced that the “Yellow Line” would become the “new border” with Israel. According to the statement, this line would serve both as an advanced defense for Israeli towns and as a line of attack.

Yet this “Yellow Line” was supposed to be temporary. It was part of an agreement under which the Israeli army would withdraw from that zone once the ceasefire came into effect, then pull back further north, and eventually leave Gaza entirely. Nothing suggests that such a withdrawal is intended.

If this line becomes the “new border,” Gaza would lose around 53% of its territory. Its already devastated land would be cut in half. This would amount to the outright annexation of a vast portion of the enclave — and another step toward the ultranationalist project of “Greater Israel,” which seeks to annex all Palestinian land and displace its inhabitants.