Palestinians in Gaza face an apocalyptic landscape of devastation following the ceasefire that halted more than 15 months of Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave.
Across the Gaza Strip, where refugee camps are spread across towns, mounds of rubble stretch as far as the eye can see.
Critics say Israel has waged a scorched earth campaign to destroy the social fabric of Gaza, accusations that are being examined by two international tribunals, including for the crime of genocide.
International rights groups have said the widespread destruction is part of a broader pattern of extermination and genocide directed against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel denies. The groups dispute Israel’s position that the destruction was the result of military activity.
A United Nations assessment from satellite images showed that more than 60,000 structures across Gaza had been destroyed and more than 20,000 seriously damaged during the war as of December 1, 2024.
Israel also created a buffer zone of approximately one kilometer inside Gaza from its fence, as well as inside the Netzarim corridor which cuts north and south Gaza, and along the corridor of Philadelphia, a stretch of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Large areas of these areas have been leveled.
