The war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, which agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday, has killed thousands of people and created a humanitarian disaster.
The fragile ceasefire agreement is set to go into effect on Sunday, but still needs to be approved by Israel’s cabinet.
Large-scale bombing and the violence of the fighting have disfigured the urban landscape of the densely populated Palestinian territory.
The AFP monitors the physical impact of war.
170,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Before the war, 2.4 million people lived on a 365-square-kilometre (140 sq mi) strip of land.
According to satellite imagery analyzed by the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT), by December 1, 2024, about 69 percent of buildings in Gaza had been destroyed or damaged. This is equivalent to 170,812 buildings.
American researchers Corey Sher and Jamon Van Den Hoek, who use satellite imagery with different methods, counted 172,015 damaged or destroyed buildings in Gaza as of January 11, 2025.
Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people on the Israeli side, the majority of whom were civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
That figure also includes hostages killed during their captivity in the Gaza Strip.
At least 46,788 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to data provided by the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Those figures have been considered reliable by the United Nations.
Rafah city half destroyed
Before the war, Gaza City in the north of the territory was home to about 600,000 people. Nearly three-quarters of its buildings (74.2 percent) were damaged or destroyed.
In Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city bordering Egypt, Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in early May.
By the end of that month, about 48.7 percent of buildings in Rafah had been affected, compared to 33.9 percent the previous month.
Although Gaza remains relatively unscathed compared to the city itself, charred facades and buildings are evidence of the wounds of war.
Rights group Amnesty International said it appeared that more than 90 percent of buildings in a 58 square kilometer area of Gaza’s border area with Israel were “destroyed or seriously damaged” between October 2023 and May 2024.
The United Nations has estimated that reconstruction in the area will take up to 15 years and cost up to $50 billion.
half the hospitals are not working
During the war, Gaza’s hospitals were repeatedly attacked by Israel, which accused Hamas of using them for military purposes, a charge the group denies.
Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few medical facilities still operational in northern Gaza, has been empty and out of service since a major Israeli strike in late December, according to the World Health Organization.
According to WHO, as of 31 December, only 18, or half, of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were partially functioning, with a total capacity of 1,800 beds.
Data from UNOSAT and the geographical database OpenStreetMap also indicate that more than 83 percent of Gaza’s mosques have been damaged or destroyed.
Almost 90 percent of schools damaged
The area’s largely UN-run schools, where many civilians have sought refuge from the fighting, have also paid a heavy price, with the Israeli military accusing Hamas of using them to hide fighters.
As of December 1, 2024, UNICEF found 496 schools damaged – about 88 percent of its total of 564 facilities. 396 schools have been directly hit.
68 percent agricultural land
According to UN satellite imagery of 26 August, 68 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land (103 square kilometres) has been damaged. This includes 79 percent of agricultural land in northern Gaza and 57 percent of such land in Rafah.
The destruction of irrigation systems, orchards, machinery and barns is even greater, with between 80 percent and 96 percent “destroyed” since the beginning of 2024, according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in September. Has gone.
Apart from this, 68 percent of Gaza’s road network has been damaged.
According to UNOSAT’s preliminary analysis, taking into account data up to 18 August, about 1,190 kilometers (740 mi) of roads have been destroyed, 415 kilometers severely damaged and 1,440 kilometers moderately damaged. .
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
