Satellite images show 35 pct of Gaza’s buildings destroyed: UN

Satellite images analyzed by the United Nations Satellite Centre show that 35 percent of the Gaza Strip’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged by Israel.

Israel has killed nearly 32,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the territory – most of whom are women and children. The Israeli government said it launched its attack in response to Hamas’s October 7 offensive.

In its assessment, the United Nations Satellite Centre, UNOSAT, used high-resolution satellite images collected on Feb. 29 and compared them with images taken before and after the start of the latest conflict.

It found that 35 percent of all buildings in the Gaza Strip – 88,868 structures – had been damaged or destroyed.

Among these, it identified 31,198 structures as destroyed, 16,908 as severely damaged, and 40,762 as moderately damaged.

Palestinians inspect the damage amid the rubble of a building in Gaza. (File photo: AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage amid the rubble of a building in Gaza.

This represents an increase of nearly 20,000 damaged structures compared to the previous assessment it did based on images taken in January that showed 30 percent of all buildings had been damaged or destroyed, UNOSAT said.

“The governorates of Khan Younis and Gaza have experienced the most significant rise in damage, with Khan Younis seeing 12,279 additional damaged structures and Gaza experiencing 2,010,” UNOSAT said.

“Khan Younis City has been hit particularly hard, with 6,663 newly destroyed structures.”

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