Nearly 40,000 buildings, or about 18% of all pre-conflict structures, have been damaged or destroyed in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began on October 7, a UN assessment showed on Tuesday.
Israeli forces unleashed an air and ground assault against Hamas in Gaza following deadly cross-border attacks by the enclave's ruling Islamist group on October 7. About 1.9 million people, or about 85% of the population, have fled their homes as a result.
The latest estimate, based on a November 26 image, was produced by the United Nations Satellite Center, where analysts examine very high-resolution satellite images to find damaged buildings and publish maps that can guide relief efforts and reconstruction plans during natural disasters and conflicts.
Estimates such as these, based on high-resolution satellite images, may still underestimate the extent of the destruction because they do not show all the damage to the building. For example, a collapsed building with an intact roof may appear undamaged.
“There has been a 49% increase in the total number of damaged structures, highlighting the escalating impact of the conflict on civilian infrastructure,” UNOSAT said in a statement.
The assessment found that the worst affected areas were the two northern governorates of Gaza and North Gaza, which together accounted for 29,732 of the 37,379 buildings damaged or destroyed, or about 80% of the total.
An earlier UN report, released on November 7, found that 25,050 buildings were damaged or destroyed, or about 10% of the total buildings in Gaza.
UNOSAT has not estimated damage by building type. Some figures from Gazan authorities earlier in the conflict indicated widespread damage to homes. At least 42% of all housing units were estimated to have been destroyed or damaged, according to one estimate cited in an October 21 UN report.
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