Satellite images show that more than 70% of homes in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed after three months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Commercial satellite imagery analyzed by the Wall Street Journal today shows that nearly 70 percent of the 439,000 homes in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged in raids since Israel began its campaign in the enclave in October.
As of mid-December, Israel had used some 29,000 bombs, artillery shells and other munitions in the Gaza Strip, knocking out or damaging about half of all structures built in the area.
The buildings that suffered damage included factories, places of worship, schools, shopping malls, hotels and apartment buildings. The Israeli military said many schools, mosques and civilian buildings in the Gaza Strip were being used by Hamas for military operations.
Al-Karameh area, northern Gaza Strip in May (left) and October (right) after the Israel-Hamas war broke out. Photo: Maxar
The Gaza Strip has only eight hospitals capable of receiving patients, compared to 36 hospitals before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
After three months of fighting, much of the Gaza Strip's basic infrastructure, including water, electricity and communications, has been damaged beyond repair. About 85% of the Gaza Strip's population has been forced to flee their homes, with most of them fleeing south.
"The keyword Gaza will go down in history, alongside Dresden and other famous cities that were leveled by bombs," said Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago in the US and a historian of bombing campaigns around the world.
Location of Gaza Strip and West Bank. Graphics: BBC
Fighting between the two sides has left 21,672 people dead and 56,165 injured in Gaza as of December 29, the majority of them women and children. Israeli officials argue that Gaza's statistics do not distinguish between civilian and Hamas casualties.
Israel and Hamas reached a week-long ceasefire on November 24, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, to exchange hostages and facilitate humanitarian aid. Israeli officials estimate Hamas still holds about 129 hostages in Gaza.
Thanh Danh (According to Times of Israel )
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