Israeli army tightens Gaza blockade with ‘wide trench, earthen embankment’: Report

The Israeli army is tightening its blockade of the Gaza Strip by constructing a wide trench and an earthen embankment while continuing targeted killings of Hamas members, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said Monday.

"Israeli forces are completing an anti-vehicle barrier consisting of a wide trench and an earthen embankment, while drilling into the ground at regular intervals," the daily said.

It claimed that the measures were intended to ensure that no tunnel crossing into Israel had been overlooked.

The barrier is being constructed on the eastern side of the yellow line, which divides the Gaza Strip between an area controlled by the Israeli army and another where Palestinians are allowed to move freely.

Alongside maintaining control of the territory, operational activity is focused on uninterrupted assassination of Hamas members, the paper said.

It said the measures come two and a half years after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was "one step away from victory."

Despite the Israeli army's extensive military presence in the Gaza Strip, "the basic reality remains unchanged: Hamas still governs the territory," the newspaper said.

Israeli forces currently control around 64% of the Gaza Strip, with two divisions deployed across roughly 30 military positions, according to the report.

On Sunday, Gaza's Health Ministry said six Palestinians were killed and three others died of wounds from Israeli fire in the past 24 hours.

According to the ministry, the Israeli army has killed at least 1,454 people and injured nearly 5,100 others despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Since October 2023, Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 others, according to Palestinian figures, also destroying about 90% of the enclave's infrastructure.