Gaza: almost 60% of buildings damaged or destroyed

PARIS | Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian Hamas a year ago, the Israeli offensive has caused, in addition to a heavy human toll and a serious humanitarian crisis, a level of destruction unparalleled in the world. in recent years.

169,000 buildings damaged or destroyed

According to satellite analyzes by American researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek, as of September 13, 2024, 58.7% of buildings in the Gaza Strip had been damaged or destroyed, or nearly 169,000 in total. The greatest destruction occurred during the first two or three months of the conflict.

Since October 7 and the unprecedented attack carried out by Hamas on Israeli soil, which led to the death on the Israeli side of 1,205 people, mainly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures and including hostages who died or were killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army relentlessly shells this cramped, densely built territory of 365 square kilometers.

The Israeli military campaign of retaliation on the Gaza Strip has so far left more than 41,400 dead, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas government’s health ministry for Gaza, data deemed reliable by the UN .

The city of Rafah half destroyed

In the north, the city of Gaza, which had 600,000 inhabitants before the war, is nothing but desolation with almost three quarters (73.9%) of its buildings affected.

Even in Rafah, in the far south, the least damaged major city in the Gaza Strip, 46.3% of buildings are affected (compared to 33.9% last April). More and more facades of buildings or houses in this town on the border with Egypt, where Israeli troops have been engaged on the ground since the beginning of May, are gutted or completely destroyed.

And according to Amnesty International, over 58 km² along the border of the Palestinian territory with Israel, more than 90% of the buildings appear to have been “destroyed or seriously damaged” between October 2023 and May 2024.

Less than one hospital in two is operational

Hospitals are often targeted by the Israeli army, which constantly accuses Hamas fighters of using them as bases for shelter or launching attacks. Israeli assaults on Al-Chifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest hospital, have reduced it to an “empty shell with graves”, according to the WHO.

As of August 20, only 16 of 36 hospitals (44%) were “partially” operational, according to the WHO.

For places of worship, by combining data from UNOSAT and OpenStreetMap, it appears that 70% of mosques were damaged or destroyed.

Nearly 85% of schools damaged

School buildings, which serve as shelter for displaced people, particularly those on which the UN blue flag flies, are also paying a heavy price, with the Israeli army accusing Hamas of using them to hide fighters.

As of July 6, UNICEF recorded at least 477 schools having suffered damage, or nearly 85% of the 564 establishments listed. Of these schools, 133 were damaged (severely) and 344 directly affected.

In September, the United Nations Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Crises, “Education Cannot Wait”, reported nearly 90% of school buildings “damaged or destroyed” and an education system “decimated”.

And 68% of agricultural areas

According to images from the UN satellite center, dating from August 27, 68% of agricultural areas were damaged, or 102 km². In the governorate of North Gaza, 78%, and in that of Rafah, 57%.

The destruction of agricultural assets (including irrigation systems, livestock farms, orchards, machinery and storage facilities) is even greater with between 80 and 96% “decimated” by the start of the year 2024, according to a report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, published in September.

The road network is 68% damaged with a total of 1,190 km of roads destroyed, 415 km severely damaged and 1,440 km moderately damaged, according to a “preliminary analysis” by UNOSAT based on data as of August 18.

“It is unimaginable the level of suffering in Gaza, the level of death and destruction is without parallel with what I have seen since I have been secretary general,” declared Antonio Guterres in September, in this position since the beginning 2017.