While the fragile ceasefire in Gaza continues under mounting strain, the situation along the buffer zone remains tense, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) maintaining a strong presence and continuing to target individuals in the area.
Israeli troops remain stationed within a 700-meter-wide security buffer zone along the border that expands to 1.1 kilometers in five areas. Since the start of the war, Israel has expanded this zone along the northern and eastern sectors by over 6%, meaning that the buffer zone — excluding the Philadelphi Corridor — now covers over 10% of Gaza. At least 12 Palestinians have been killed while approaching the buffer zone since the start of the ceasefire.
ACLED’s Middle East Senior Analyst Dr. Ameneh Mehvar explains: “Even if the ceasefire progresses, an outcome far from certain, an IDF withdrawal from the buffer zone remains doubtful, as Israel considers it crucial for the defense of its civilian population near the border. Not only does the buffer zone shrink the Palestinian territory, but the IDF’s targeting of individuals around these areas highlights the ongoing and future risks to civilians amid Israel’s continued security control over Gaza.”
Key facts on the buffer zone along the border:
Before 7 October 2023
- Even before the war, Palestinians were effectively barred from approaching within 300 meters of the perimeter fence, although Israel never officially declared the policy or specified to Palestinians the exact boundaries of the restricted area.
- From January 2016 to 6 October 2023, ACLED records nearly 300 Israeli incursions into Gaza for razing activities inside the de facto buffer zone.
- In over 180 other incidents during the same period, Israeli forces fired on Palestinian civilians including farmers who were near the buffer zone — many of them as part of their daily routine — resulting in injuries and over a dozen reported deaths.
- Separately, between 2018 and 2019, as Gaza residents organized the Great March of Return in the buffer zone near the border to call for an end to Israel’s blockade, Israeli snipers responded by shooting and killing over 200 demonstrating Palestinians.
Since 7 October 2023
- After the outbreak of war in October 2023, Israel expanded the buffer zone, demolishing homes, public buildings, and farmland through controlled explosions and bulldozing, with ACLED documenting over 100 additional property destruction events in this area.
- Between 19 January, when the ceasefire took effect, and 10 February, IDF forces shelled or fired on individuals approaching a few hundred meters from the buffer zone in the eastern section in at least 24 instances, labeling them suspects but not confirming whether they were armed. At least eight Palestinians were reported killed.
- Also since the ceasefire began, 12 incidents were recorded in the southern section of the buffer zone near the Philadelphia Corridor, leading to at least four fatalities.
For a closer look at all political violence and property destruction events in Gaza, as well as attacks originating in Gaza targeting Israel, visit ACLED’s new Gaza Monitor tool, which includes data since 7 October 2023.
The Gaza Monitor also highlights key events and data since the ceasefire began on 19 January. While Israeli forces have largely refrained from engaging with Hamas or carrying out major operations in populated areas, ACLED’s Gaza Monitor shows 75 IDF attacks between the start of the ceasefire and 10 February, killing at least 30 Palestinians. These included 18 drone strikes and incidents involving gunfire and shelling. In only three cases did the IDF claim to target armed suspects, with most incidents occurring as Palestinians attempted to return north or approached the buffer zone.
