Israel has been actively demolishing high-rise towers in Gaza City, leveling entire neighborhoods that once housed thousands of people. According to the Palestinian Civil Defence, at least 50 multistorey buildings have been destroyed in recent weeks as Israeli forces intensify their assault on the city, contributing to a wave of forced displacements.
Some neighborhoods have faced near-total destruction. In the Zeitoun area of Gaza City alone, over 1,500 homes and buildings have been destroyed since early August, leaving parts of the district without any buildings standing.
Despite the intense destruction, Israel is pushing people to move south, though many are returning due to an inability to find shelter. The designated “humanitarian zone” in the southern coastal area of al-Mawasi offers no safety. Satellite images from September reveal that entire neighborhoods have been leveled, with many hospitals, schools, places of worship, and homes damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks.
Here are before-and-after satellite images from nine northern Gaza neighborhoods affected by the conflict:
- Sheikh Radwan: This densely packed neighborhood, known for its markets and narrow streets, has faced ongoing military operations with tanks advancing, destroying homes, and setting fires in tent encampments.
- Remal: Home to key landmarks like al-Shifa Hospital and the city’s main seaport, Israeli attacks have destroyed several high-rise residential and office buildings, including major towers like Mushtaha, al-Ruya, al-Salam, and Tiba Towers.
- Tuffah: Multiple air strikes and ground operations have targeted this neighborhood, significantly reducing it to rubble where markets, schools, and community spaces once thrived.
- Sabra: Over 1,000 buildings have been destroyed in Sabra and the neighboring Zeitoun since August 6, trapping hundreds under rubble.
- Zeitoun: Once bustling with markets and olive groves, Zeitoun is now unrecognizable with entire blocks flattened and displaced residents.
- Shujayea: Known for its residential and commercial areas, Shujayea’s proximity to bombardment areas has made it particularly vulnerable.
- Beit Lahiya: Once famous for its strawberry fields, known as “red gold,” Israeli machinery has destroyed these fields, leaving the area in a dire humanitarian state with a famine declared in northern Gaza.
- Beit Hanoon: Severely devastated, the closure of the Erez crossing has worsened the humanitarian crisis by limiting aid delivery and movement.
- Jabalia: The Israeli military has repeatedly struck Jabalia, including the largest refugee camp in Gaza, originally set up in 1948 for those displaced during the creation of Israel. The camp is extremely densely populated and three UN-run schools have been turned into shelters for displaced families.
This report is a grim reminder of the devastating impact of the conflict on the people of Gaza.
