Israel Built 8 New Gaza Bases After 2025 Ceasefire as Troops Hold 60% of Enclave
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 3
Israel Built 8 New Gaza Bases After 2025 Ceasefire as Troops Hold 60% of Enclave
1 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 3
Summary
Satellite imagery analyzed by Al Jazeera identified 40 Israeli military outposts in Gaza by May 2026, including eight bases built entirely after the October 2025 ceasefire and one still under construction.
Those sites were erected despite a truce that required a phased Israeli withdrawal; instead, forces remained along the “Yellow Line,” a buffer and military zone covering about 60% of Gaza.
New construction spans northern, central and southern Gaza, including a base built over Khan Younis’s Eastern Cemetery, while older positions were expanded with trenches, berms, armored staging areas and fortified internal roads.
Three outposts around the Netzarim Corridor help preserve Israel’s split between northern and southern Gaza, and the wider network now surrounds Palestinian population centers and restricts civilian movement and land access.
Netanyahu recently said Israel already controls 60% of the territory and suggested moving toward 70%, underscoring how the post-truce buildup aligns with broader territorial aims.
Are Israel's permanent Gaza bases a strategy for lasting security or for endless conflict?
With the Gaza ceasefire dead and land seized, is a wider Middle East war now inevitable?
As international law fails, what will stop the permanent military seizure of Gaza?
From Ceasefire to Catastrophe: Israel’s Annexation Strategy and the Humanitarian Toll in Gaza, 2025–2026
Overview
As of June 2026, Israel has significantly expanded its military presence and territorial control in Gaza, directly violating the October 2025 US-brokered ceasefire agreement that required a phased withdrawal. This ongoing expansion undermines both Gaza’s territorial integrity and the agreed path to de-escalation, signaling a shift toward increased occupation and control. The persistent Israeli military buildup not only contradicts the core terms of the ceasefire but also makes the prospects for peace and disengagement increasingly remote, highlighting a critical escalation in the conflict’s dynamics.