Since the beginning of the war in Gaza Strip for a year, the Israeli attack, in addition to the extremely high number of victims and the acute humanitarian crisis, has caused material destruction at an unprecedented level in recent years.

According to US researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek’s analyzes of satellite photos, as of September 13, 2024, 58.7% of the buildings in the highly populated Palestinian enclave of 365 square kilometers have been damaged or completely destroyed, totaling approx. 169,000 buildings. The most important disasters occurred during the first two-three months of the war.

In the northern sector, Gaza City, which had a population of 600,000 before the war, is devastated. 73.9% of the city’s buildings have been affected.

In Rafaat the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt, 46.3% of buildings have been affected.

According to Amnesty International, in the 58 square kilometers of the enclave zone bordering Israel, more than 90% of buildings were completely destroyed or extensively damaged from October 2023 to May 2024.

Hospitals are his prime target Israeli armywhich accuses Hamas fighters of using them as bases to shelter or launch attacks. Israeli attacks on al-Sifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest hospital, have turned it into “an empty shell of graves,” according to the World Health Organization.

As of August 20, only 16 of 36 hospitals (44%) were partially functioning in the Gaza Strip, according to the WHO.

As for places of worship, combined data from Unosat and OpenStreetMap show that 70% of mosques have been destroyed or heavily damaged.

School buildings used as refugee shelters, especially those flying the UN flag, are paying a high price as the Israeli military accuses Hamas of using them as hideouts for gunmen.

According to Unicef ​​data, as of July 6, at least 477 schools had been damaged, or about 85% of the 564 school buildings. Among them, 344 were directly affected.

In September, the United Nations Global Fund for Education in Crisis “Education Cannot Wait” announced that 90% of school buildings had been destroyed or damaged and the education system had been decimated.

According to photos from the UN satellite center, by August 27, 68% of the agricultural land had been damaged, that is an area of ​​102 square kilometers. In the northern sector of the enclave, 78% and in the Rafa sector, 75%.

Destruction of agricultural infrastructure (water systems, livestock farms, fields, equipment and storage) is even more severe, ranging from 80% to 96% by early 2024, according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development which was published in September.

68% of the road network has been damaged. In total, 1,190 kilometers of roads have been destroyed, 415 kilometers damaged and 1,440 kilometers less damaged, according to a preliminary analysis by Unosat based on data as of August 18.