Geneva:
Satellite images analyzed by the United Nations Satellite Center show that 30% of buildings in the Gaza Strip were destroyed or damaged during the Israeli offensive into the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
Israel's attack, launched in response to attacks by Hamas operatives in southern Israel on October 7, killed more than 27,000 Palestinians in the Hamas-held area, according to health authorities.
Air strikes, shelling and destruction have destroyed entire city neighborhoods, including much of the civilian infrastructure.
“A total of 69,147 structures have been affected, representing approximately 30% of the total structures in the Gaza Strip,” the United Nations Satellite Center UNOSAT said.
It said 22,131 buildings in the enclave have been identified as destroyed, while another 14,066 are considered seriously damaged and 32,950 have suffered moderate damage.
UNOSAT used satellite images from January 6 to 7 and compared them with six other sets of images, including some from before the Israeli offensive.
UNOSAT said the Gaza City and Khan Younis regions had experienced the largest increase in damage since the previous analysis.
In the two areas, 10,280 and 11,894 new damaged structures were found respectively, compared to UNOSAT's previous analysis based on images from November 26.
UNOSAT's analysis also found that an estimated 93,800 homes in the Gaza Strip have been damaged.
About 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the offensive.
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