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U.N. Warns That Killings Near Gaza Armistice Line Could Be Unlawful

The U.N. says its verified data shows a pattern of deaths clustered along a moving 'yellow line' that may indicate civilians were shot for their proximity to the boundary.

The United Nations logo adorns a window at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Overview

  • The U.N. Human Rights Office publicly raised alarms on May 27–28 after sharing verified data that recorded 453 killings from the ceasefire through Feb. 5 and found 152 deaths clustered near the armistice boundary.
  • The U.N. said those 152 victims included 102 men, 15 women, 24 boys and 11 girls and that many did not appear to pose a threat when they were shot.
  • Israel marked the armistice line on the ground with spaced concrete blocks and has repeatedly moved those markers deeper into Gaza, expanding a restricted zone that Israeli maps show now covers nearly two-thirds of the territory.
  • The Israeli military says fire near the line is aimed at stopping militant threats; Gaza health authorities report about 900 Palestinian deaths from Israeli strikes since the truce and Israel says four soldiers were killed in the same post‑truce period.
  • The shifting boundary and widened buffer have squeezed civilians into smaller areas, raising displacement and risk for people living or working near the line and prompting the U.N. to say the pattern could warrant investigations into possible war crimes.