Two-thirds of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged since the start of the war in October 2023, the United Nations announced on Monday.
Updating its damage assessment, the UN Satellite Center (UNOSAT) said that very high resolution images collected on September 3 and 6 showed a marked deterioration in the situation in this area.
This analysis “shows that two-thirds of all structures in the Gaza Strip have suffered damage,” said UNOSAT, which is hosted in Geneva by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research ( UNITAR).
These “structures” encompass all types of construction.
“This 66% of damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip corresponds to 163,778 structures in total,” he said.
The previous assessment, which was based on images dating from early July, determined that 63% of the “structures” in this Palestinian territory had been affected.
According to the update, 52,564 structures were destroyed, 18,913 were severely damaged, 35,591 probably damaged and 56,710 moderately affected.
Gaza City particularly suffered, with 36,611 “structures” destroyed, adds UNOSAT in its press release.
This center and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also noted that around 68% of permanently cultivated fields in the Gaza Strip showed “a significant decline in their health and their density” in September.
Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 left 1,205 dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures that include hostages killed in captivity.
The military offensive launched in retaliation by Israel left at least 41,615 dead in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Health of this territory controlled by Hamas. The UN has described these figures as reliable.
UNOSAT says its analysis of satellite images helps humanitarian organizations assess the extent of conflict-related damage and helps prepare for emergency relief operations.
“Over the past year, the UNOSAT team has worked tirelessly to provide the world with accurate and timely information on the impact of the conflict on buildings and [autres] infrastructure” in the Gaza Strip, insisted Nikhil Seth, executive director of UNITAR.