More than half of all structures in Gaza destroyed, damaged: UN
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UNOSAT says the image comparisons show that Deir al-Balah and Gaza suffered the worst damage between April 1 and May 3.
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A Palestinian boy sits in the rubble of his destroyed home in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, on Friday, May 31, 2024. (AP)
Almost 55% of Gaza's structures have been destroyed, damaged, or possibly damaged since the war started in October, according to preliminary satellite analysis by the UN satellite analysis agency, UNOSAT, on X.
🏚️ According to our analysis, we identified 36,591 destroyed structures, 16,513 severely damaged, 47,368 moderately damaged, and 36,825 possibly damaged structures. A total of 137,297 structures, or about 55% of the total in Gaza, are affected. #DamageAssessment #SatelliteImagery pic.twitter.com/UZjh64o0j7
— UNOSAT (@UNOSAT) June 3, 2024
The post shows a satellite image taken on May 3 compared with images taken in May a year earlier, last September, and on October 15.
In a statement, the UNOSAT said, “According to satellite imagery analysis, Unosat identified 36,591 destroyed structures,” adding that it had seen “16,513 severely damaged structures, 47,368 moderately damaged structures, and 36,825 possibly damaged structures of a total of 137,297 structures."
“These correspond to around 55 percent of the total structures in the Gaza Strip and a total of 135,142 estimated damaged housing units,” it noted.
UNOSAT says the image comparisons show that Deir al-Balah and Gaza suffered the worst damage between April 1 and May 3.
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An additional 2,613 structures had been damaged in Deir al-Balah, while another 2,368 had been damaged in Gaza in just over a month.
Read next: Gaza destroyed by 'Israel' more than German cities in WWII: Borrell
The Nuseirat municipality in Deir el-Balah suffered the greatest number of newly damaged structures during that period, standing at 1,216, the agency confirmed, as it highlighted that this data was still part of a preliminary analysis yet to be validated in the field.
'Israel' destroys 72% of residential buildings in Northern Gaza
A Palestinian official in Gaza reported on Sunday that approximately 50,000 housing units have been demolished by Israeli occupation forces during their nearly eight-month-long aggressive campaign in the northern region of the territory.
The chairman of the Emergency Committee for Northern Gaza municipalities emphasized that along with the destruction of homes, vital infrastructure, such as sewage networks and roads, has been extensively damaged across most municipalities in Northern Gaza. Additionally, the official mentioned the destruction of 35 water wells, schools, and UNRWA facilities, highlighting the imminent risk of famine in the northern area of Gaza.
The official also announced that the Jabalia refugee camp and Beit Hanoun, both located in northern Gaza, have been designated as "disaster zones" due to the devastating destruction inflicted by Israeli aggressive war, which the official characterized as genocidal.
Abdallah al-Dardari, the UN assistant secretary-general and director of the UN Development Program's regional office for the Arab states, stated that the Israeli aggression has resulted in the complete or partial destruction of 72 percent of Gaza's residential buildings.
Analysts across the world agree that "Israel's" war on Gaza is currently among the bloodiest and most devastating in recent history. The Israeli regime claims to be considerate of civilian lives, but the death toll and the extent of the destruction reveal otherwise.
Back in March, the UNRWA agency revealed that the war on Gaza has resulted in around 23 million tons of rubble and unexploded weapons all over the area and that it will “take years” before Gaza is safe again.
The destruction across the #GazaStrip 📍 has created nearly 23 million tons of debris
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) March 15, 2024
It will take years to clear the rubble & unexploded ordnance
Houses, schools, clinics & other civilian infrastructure have been impacted
The lives of +2 million people have been devastated pic.twitter.com/2DkprZTY73
Moreover, a report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in January indicated that rebuilding Gaza and restoring its 0.4% growth per year seen over the past 15 years would factually take 70 years, confirming that enormous amounts of aid would be needed to make Gaza at least habitable.
