Israel's occupation of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria extends beyond what maps show

Israel holds about 1,000 square kilometers of Gaza, southern Lebanon, and southern Syria under direct military rule. After ceasefire agreements, new boundary lines and zones appear on Israeli military control maps, followed by questions about whether forces, field markers, demolitions, and positions match what is declared. In Gaza, the Yellow Line is treated as the limit of Israeli control within the Strip and is marked by yellow concrete markers on the ground. In southern Lebanon, the declared military zone is compared with satellite imagery of affected villages and towns. In southern Syria, fixed outposts beyond the Alpha Line are examined because no comparable official Israeli map exists. Evidence is combined from Israeli army maps, post-ceasefire satellite imagery, GIS spatial calculations, and ACLED data.

"Findings show Israel holds 1,000sq km of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria under direct military rule. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli military control maps in its surrounding areas are no longer merely lines announced in official statements or drawn on military maps. After every ceasefire agreement, a map has emerged, and after every map, questions on the ground arise: Where do the forces actually stand? Do the field markers, demolition operations, and military positions match what is declared on paper?"

"The Digital Investigations Team at Al Jazeera's Open Source Unit tracked three areas where new borders for the Israeli military presence have taken shape: the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, and southern Syria. In Gaza, we looked at the Yellow Line, which appeared on the ceasefire agreement maps as the limit of Israeli control within the Strip, designated by yellow concrete markers on the ground. In southern Lebanon, the investigation looked at the military zone declared by Israel following a subsequent ceasefire agreement with that country, before examining what satellite imagery shows as the actual situation in impacted villages and towns."

"As for southern Syria, where no similar official Israeli map exists, we looked at fixed military outposts beyond the Alpha Line that separates the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. Since each area provides a different type of evidence, the investigation combined official maps published by the Israeli army, satellite imagery captured after the ceasefire agreements, spatial calculations using Geographic Information System (GIS) and data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)."

"In Gaza, the story begins with a line drawn by the Israeli army on its maps following the ceasefire agreement signed on October 10, 2025. Known as the Yellow Line, it was presented as the boundary separating Israeli military control zones within Gaza, covering an area estimated at about 200sq km (77sq mile"

Read at www.aljazeera.com