An extensive review of images of Gaza after seven weeks of Israeli bombing shows extensive damage to the infrastructure within the Strip. According to a human rights monitoring group, Israel has dropped more than 25,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza.
Satellite and drone images examined by the BBC show nearly 100,000 buildings have sustained damage. Most of the destruction has occurred in the northern half of the Strip, including the destruction of entire neighborhoods.
However, Israeli strikes have destroyed large areas in the south. In Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, 15% of buildings have been damaged by Israeli strikes. As Israel began its operations in the Strip after October 7, Tel Aviv ordered the Palestinians in northern Gaza to leave for the southern half.
In addition to the bombing, Israel has used bulldozers to clear areas for military roads and bases. Israeli forces even used military vehicles to carve a Star of David into the earth in Gaza City.
The Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed at least 15,000 – including 6,000 children – according to Palestinian officials. The bombing has destroyed most of the besieged enclave’s hospitals.
A report from +972 Magazine says that Tel Aviv targeted buildings even when Israeli forces were aware civilians were present. “Nothing happens by accident. When a 3-year-old girl is killed in a home in Gaza, it’s because someone in the army decided it wasn’t a big deal for her to be killed — that it was a price worth paying in order to hit [another] target,” a source told the outlet. “We are not Hamas. These are not random rockets. Everything is intentional. We know exactly how much collateral damage there is in every home.”
The report also explains Tel Aviv is intentionally striking “power targets,” which include civilian infrastructure, such as high-rise apartment buildings, banks, universities, and other public buildings.
