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The Age
a day ago
- General
- The Age
How much of Gaza is left standing? True toll may be even greater than official reports suggest
From above, much of Gaza appears flattened. But the full scale of the destruction and the number of people killed remain uncertain. Daily death tolls are issued by local authorities run by Hamas, the Islamist group that still controls parts of the strip, but many doubt their accuracy. Foreign journalists are barred unless embedded with Israeli forces. In the absence of access, independent researchers have turned to satellite images, surveys and public records to estimate what has been lost. Their findings suggest the toll may be even greater than suggested by official reports. The physical damage has been assessed both by what has been destroyed and by the rubble that remains. The first method tracks changes to building outlines in satellite images over time. Loading Using this method, UNOSAT, a UN agency, identified damage to more than 190,000 buildings by early April – roughly 70 per cent of Gaza's pre-war structures. Of these, some 102,000 appear to have been completely destroyed. The World Bank reckons that translates to roughly 300,000 homes lost, including 77 per cent of all apartment buildings. The second approach models how much debris a building of a given size would leave behind if destroyed. The most recent analysis by UN Habitat, another agency, estimated that 53.5 million tonnes of rubble now lie across the strip, a 133 per cent increase in 15 months.

Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
How much of Gaza is left standing? True toll may be even greater than official reports suggest
From above, much of Gaza appears flattened. But the full scale of the destruction and the number of people killed remain uncertain. Daily death tolls are issued by local authorities run by Hamas, the Islamist group that still controls parts of the strip, but many doubt their accuracy. Foreign journalists are barred unless embedded with Israeli forces. In the absence of access, independent researchers have turned to satellite images, surveys and public records to estimate what has been lost. Their findings suggest the toll may be even greater than suggested by official reports. The physical damage has been assessed both by what has been destroyed and by the rubble that remains. The first method tracks changes to building outlines in satellite images over time. Loading Using this method, UNOSAT, a UN agency, identified damage to more than 190,000 buildings by early April – roughly 70 per cent of Gaza's pre-war structures. Of these, some 102,000 appear to have been completely destroyed. The World Bank reckons that translates to roughly 300,000 homes lost, including 77 per cent of all apartment buildings. The second approach models how much debris a building of a given size would leave behind if destroyed. The most recent analysis by UN Habitat, another agency, estimated that 53.5 million tonnes of rubble now lie across the strip, a 133 per cent increase in 15 months.


Economist
3 days ago
- General
- Economist
How much of Gaza is left standing?
Analysis by independent researchers reveals the scale of the destruction From above, much of Gaza appears flattened. But the full scale of the destruction and the number of people killed remain uncertain. Daily death tolls are issued by local authorities run by Hamas, the Islamist group that still controls parts of the strip, but many doubt their accuracy. Foreign journalists are barred unless embedded with Israeli forces. In the absence of access, independent researchers have turned to satellite images, surveys and public records to estimate what has been lost. Their findings suggest the toll may be even greater than suggested by official reports. The physical damage has been assessed both by what has been destroyed and by the rubble that remains. The first method tracks changes to building outlines in satellite images over time. Using this method, UNOSAT, a UN agency, identified damage to more than 190,000 buildings by early April—roughly 70% of Gaza's pre-war structures. Of these, some 102,000 appear to have been completely destroyed. The World Bank reckons that translates to roughly 300,000 homes lost, including 77% of all apartment buildings. The second approach models how much debris a building of a given size would leave behind if destroyed. The most recent analysis by UN Habitat, another agency, estimated that 53.5m tonnes of rubble now lie across the strip, a 133% increase in 15 months. That has left few havens. Before the war, Gaza's 2m residents, half of them children, lived in 365 square kilometres—a population density similar to Madrid's. But by July 30th, Israeli militarised zones and displacement had pushed the population into just 12.7% of the strip, where many now live in tents. That may be one of the most densely packed places on Earth. The collapse of medical care, sanitation and food supplies has caused thousands of deaths not directly tied to bombs or bullets. A study by Michael Spagat, of Royal Holloway University of London, and others estimated that by January 5th between 4,500 and 12,500 people had died from indirect causes. The same study put the number of violent deaths at roughly 60,000-90,000—more than half of them women, children, or men over the age of 65 (see chart). Another study estimated that 55,000-79,000 Gazans had died from traumatic injuries by the end of June 2024. These independent estimates far exceed official counts, which reached 38,000 in June 2024 and 47,500 in January 2025. If you assume that the ratio between the official figures and the academic estimates have remained the same it would imply that 4-5% of the territory's pre-war population has now been killed. The broader demographic toll is hard to grasp. The studies imply that estimated life expectancy has fallen by more than 35 years, to roughly half the pre-war figure. In percentage terms this drop is bigger than the one recorded during China's Great Leap Forward; in absolute terms it is similar to the one in the Rwanda genocide. For the civilians who have survived, the outlook is bleak. Few basic services are running. By August 1st the UN found that 76% of schools had been directly hit by strikes. Around 95% of hospitals have been significantly damaged. The cost of rebuilding is still uncertain, but huge. In February the World Bank put it at roughly $53bn—more than twice the combined pre-war GDP of Gaza and the West Bank. A full reckoning will be possible only once the fighting ends. But the patchy data available suggest that this is among the most destructive conflicts in recent history.
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First Post
24-07-2025
- General
- First Post
Gaza in ruins: How the territory has been reduced to rubble
Gaza has been reduced to ruins after 21 months of war, with over 70 per cent of its buildings damaged or destroyed and 53 million tonnes of debris blanketing the strip. Night-time light has dropped sevenfold as power infrastructure collapses, while hospitals and schools lie in ruins. Is Gaza still liveable under such devastation? read more Palestinians gather as they carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, amid a hunger crisis, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 20, 2025. File Image/Reuters After 21 months of war, Gaza has seen 70 per cent of its buildings either destroyed or damaged, leaving the Palestinian enclave buried under millions of tonnes of rubble and shrouded in darkness, according to data from the United Nations and Nasa, analysed by AFP. In response to the 2023 Hamas-led assault that sparked the conflict and resulted in 1,219 deaths on the Israeli side — mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official sources — the Israeli military has continuously bombarded the densely populated strip, which spans 365 square kilometres (141 square miles). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 53 million tonnes of rubble According to the health ministry operating under the Hamas-led administration, Israel's offensive has claimed the lives of 59,219 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians. The destruction on the ground has been immense: by April 4, 2025, the UN's satellite analysis agency, UNOSAT, reported that 174,500 buildings had been levelled by the Israeli strikes. UNOSAT has estimated the resulting debris at 53.5 million tonnes — around ten times the mass of Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza. That equates to approximately 146 kilogrammes of rubble for every square metre of land in the enclave, according to the same UN body. While there were already buildings in Gaza that had been razed by Israel before the war, the scale of destruction since October 2023 is 18 times greater than the debris accumulated from Israeli strikes over the past 15 years combined. Asbestos and toxic hazards A July publication by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned that the vast quantity of rubble contains hazardous substances that could jeopardise public health in Gaza. UNEP estimated that debris from older buildings may include 3.7 tonnes of asbestos, along with 2.6 tonnes of toxic waste originating from destroyed industrial facilities. The agency noted that several densely populated refugee camps — such as those in Jabalia, Nuseirat, Maghazi, Khan Yunis, and Rafah—are situated dangerously close to 'debris potentially contaminated with asbestos'. Only half of hospitals 'partially' operational Hospitals and clinics have also taken a heavy toll during Israeli airstrikes. Israel alleges that Hamas uses hospitals as bases or hideouts to conduct operations. As of June 30, just 18 of Gaza's 36 hospitals were 'partially' functional, according to UN figures. Out of a total of 163 healthcare facilities, only 63 — or fewer than 40 per cent — were deemed fit to provide any medical care. Nearly 90% of schools affected Schools have similarly been ravaged by the ongoing bombardment. Many were repurposed as shelters for displaced families, but the Israeli military claims Hamas has used school premises to conceal its fighters. Palestinian children gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 22, 2025. File Image/Reuters UNICEF, in its April 1 report, stated that out of 564 documented schools, 501 had suffered damage — meaning almost 90 percent had been affected. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Of these, 95 schools may have sustained severe damage, while 406 were hit directly. Night-time illumination falls sevenfold Prior to the war, residents of the Gaza Strip received grid electricity for about 12 hours a day, according to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). By 2024, that access had completely disappeared. The sole power plant in Gaza shut down in the early phase of the conflict due to a lack of fuel. Meanwhile, power lines from Israel — which had previously supplied a significant portion of Gaza's energy — were cut off. Before the war, the power plant and Israeli supply lines jointly fulfilled 43 per cent of Gaza's electricity demand. The rest had already gone unmet. Now, the enclave is plunged into near-total darkness once night falls. Using Nasa's BlackMarble project, which tracks ground-level light emissions (radiance), AFP analysed nighttime light levels. From January to May 2025, the average nighttime radiance in Gaza had fallen to one-seventh of the levels seen from May to September 2023 — before the war began. In Gaza City, the reduction was even starker, with nighttime brightness down by a factor of 16. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The only zone with illumination levels similar to pre-war figures was the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land along Gaza's border with Egypt, now entirely controlled by the Israeli military. Also Watch: With inputs from AFP


Shafaq News
20-07-2025
- General
- Shafaq News
Erased stones: War's toll on Gaza's cultural heritage
Shafaq News Beneath Gaza's modern streets and rubble lie fragments of civilizations that shaped the region for millennia. Yet the ongoing Israeli war since October 7, 2023, has shattered much of this heritage, threatening to erase irreplaceable cultural landmarks that reflect Gaza's complex history. Among the most significant sites affected is the Saint Hilarion Monastery near Deir al-Balah. This complex, dating back to the 4th century CE, once served as a major Christian monastic center in the Levant. Archaeologists have documented its basilica, cloister, baptistery, and burial crypts, all of which have sustained considerable structural damage amid the fighting. Previously placed on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List, the monastery was officially designated as endangered in early 2024. Northwest of Gaza City, the remnants of Anthedon Harbour—a vital ancient port spanning eras from the Iron Age to Hellenistic times—now bear the marks of bombardment. Multiple airstrikes between late 2023 and early 2024 left craters and scattered debris, as confirmed by satellite images analyzed by UNOSAT. These blows risk obliterating the layers of history embedded in the site's stones. Jabaliya, a town in northern Gaza, was home to a recently discovered Roman-era necropolis called Ard al-Moharbeen. Revealed in 2022 and 2023 during construction activities, the site contained more than 125 tombs, including rare lead sarcophagi—finds of considerable archaeological value. Reports indicate that the necropolis was nearly completely destroyed during a ground incursion in late 2023. The historic core of Gaza City has also suffered. The Pasha Palace, an Ottoman-era administrative building turned museum, lies in ruins after repeated strikes in early 2024. The palace's intricately tiled halls and arches, once admired for their craftsmanship, are buried beneath collapsed walls. Similarly, Hamam al-Sammara—the last functioning traditional bathhouse in Gaza and a structure with over 700 years of continuous use—was destroyed by an airstrike. Nearby, the Qissariya Market, with its vaulted stone corridors dating back to the Mamluk period, partially collapsed under bombardment. Among Gaza's religious landmarks, the Great Omari Mosque sustained heavy damage in December 2023. Built atop a Byzantine church and reconstructed during the Mamluk and Ottoman eras, the mosque's northern wall, dome, and main prayer hall were reduced to rubble, signaling a profound loss for both worshippers and heritage conservationists. The Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, located in the Zaytoun district, have also suffered a particularly tragic blow on October 19, 2023. While sheltering displaced families during the fighting, the adjacent monastery buildings were struck by a blast that killed at least 18 civilians, including women and children, and injured many others. Although the church's bell tower remained intact, much of the surrounding complex was severely damaged. Saving what's Left International law provides protections for cultural heritage sites regardless of their use, a point UNESCO has emphasized throughout the conflict. The agency cites the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property and Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, both of which prohibit targeting cultural property unless absolutely necessary for military operations. This widespread damage has drawn concern from global heritage organizations. ICOMOS, which advises UNESCO, has placed Gaza's historical fabric on its emergency watch list. Likewise, the World Monuments Fund included Gaza's Old City on its 2025 list of the world's most endangered cultural heritage sites, underlining the vulnerability of the enclave's historic urban environment. The financial toll is also substantial. In a report released in January 2024, the World Bank estimated losses to Gaza's cultural sector at over $319 million. This encompasses destruction of museums, archaeological sites, historic neighborhoods, and religious monuments. According to Gaza's Ministry of Culture, at least 247 cultural institutions, including libraries, theaters, and heritage centers, have been destroyed or damaged. Independent assessments by ALIPH and ICOMOS also suggest that over 1,000 historical artifacts may be irretrievably lost. Local officials further estimate that upwards of 60% of Gaza's cultural assets have been directly affected since hostilities began, while heritage-related livelihoods—craftspeople, tour guides, and preservation workers—have seen a 90% drop in activity and income. Amid this devastation, efforts to protect what remains have begun. The ALIPH Foundation has supported salvage operations aimed at recovering artifacts from collapsed buildings, including museum collections from the Pasha Palace. Archaeologists based in Gaza, led remotely by researcher Fadel al-Utol, are also employing mobile technology and digital tools to document damage and preserve records of threatened sites. Moreover, UNESCO has committed to backing comprehensive assessment and restoration once conditions permit safe access. However, experts caution that rebuilding Gaza's cultural heritage will be a long-term, costly endeavor, with estimates suggesting several hundred million dollars and years of dedicated work will be required to restore what has been lost.