FILE- An Israeli soldier occupies a military position overlooking the so-called Yellow Line in the central Gaza Strip. AP
It is an area larger than many major cities — roughly 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles) — and Israel has said it plans to occupy it indefinitely.
The Israeli land grab began in the aftermath of October 2023 as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli officials openly declared intentions to build "Greater Israel," flashing maps of the state that include ever-larger parts of territory in neighbouring countries.
The Israeli military took over large portions of Gaza as part of a broad invasion, and later seized control of chunks of Lebanon and Syria.
In Gaza and Lebanon, Israeli land seizures and "evacuation warnings" have displaced more than 3 million people, and troops have demolished towns and neighborhoods, creating large depopulated zones.
The “buffer zones” — equivalent to roughly 5% of Israel’s area soon after its establishment — are not new borders, which require an agreement between two countries. But many fear these changes could become long-lasting. Iran has made Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon a condition for ending its war with the U.S.
Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has never declared clear borders. Its boundaries have shifted through wars, annexations, ceasefires and peace agreements.
LEBANON
Israel's latest escaltion in Lebanon began on March 2, amid the backdrop of the US-Israeli war against Iran, which started on Feb. 28.
Israel launched a ground invasion into Lebanon in late March. Israeli bombardment amid so-called "evacuation warnings", some stretching beyond the areas under its control, has forced about 1.2 million Lebanese to flee. Israel has also demolished multiple villages along the border.
Israel now occupies 608 square kilometers (234 square miles) in Lebanon, according to experts with the Carnegie Middle East Center.
GAZA
Since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza in October 2023, almost the entire population of the strip, more than 2 million people, has been squeezed into vast, squalid tent cities dependent on international aid.
The Israeli occupation army has bulldozed or demolished wide swaths of the zone, and the area, where most of Gaza’s agricultural land lies, is inaccessible to Palestinians.
Israeli occupation forces have refused to complete a fuller withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as stipulated under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
The exact location of Israel’s so-called "yellow line" is ambiguous. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants Israel to take control of 70% of Gaza.
Israel now occupies 194 square kilometers (75 square miles) in Gaza, according to Israeli rights group Gisha.
SYRIA
Following the downfall of Assad in late 2024, Israel expanded its military occupation in Syria beyond the Golan Heights.
The Israeli seizure of so-called "buffer zones" in Syria violates a 1974 ceasefire agreement. Civilians in the area now under Israeli control have not been instructed to evacuate but have faced checkpoints and tension, with occasional clashes between Israeli soldiers and villagers.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has called on Israel to withdraw from the area that the U.N. says is 235 square kilometers (91 square miles).
WEST BANK
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have also been displaced from their homes in the West Bank due to expanded Israeli occupation army operations and forced displacement policies of the population since the start of the war in Gaza.
Israel has expanded settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories since October 2023.
The expanded Israeli settlements have put enormous restrictions on the daily lives of Palestinians, who view them as the main barrier to a lasting peace agreement because they are built on lands they seek for a future state.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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