Israeli strikes and demolitions have destroyed dozens of buildings in areas of Gaza City, satellite images show, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its offensive has established control over 40% of the city. The new images reviewed by BBC Verify show that intensive bombardments and controlled explosions have leveled several neighborhoods over the past four weeks. Rows of tents - which have sprung up over the city to shelter Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military campaign - have also disappeared over the past month, the images show.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to seize all of the strip and launch an incursion into Gaza City after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July. UN humanitarian officials have warned that the impact of a full-blown offensive would be 'beyond catastrophic'. Strikes have intensified in areas of Gaza City in recent weeks and dozens of Palestinians have been killed in attacks this week alone according to the Hamas-run health ministry and civil defense agency.
Satellite images show that significant damage has already occurred in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun, and Tuffah neighborhoods in recent weeks. The photos reveal that dozens of buildings in the city were leveled between August and September. In Sheikh Radwan - a neighborhood located about three kilometers from Gaza City center - several buildings have been wiped away. The images clearly show track marks left by Israeli armored vehicles, many of which pass through sections of the neighborhood where buildings and trees once stood.
BBC Verify also geolocated footage of an explosion that leveled dozens of high-rise buildings in the adjacent Jabalia area, mirroring similar demolitions carried out by Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Thousands of buildings in areas including Rafah and Khan Younis have been demolished by controlled explosions and demolition contractors in the area. In Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, images show four clusters of IDF armored vehicles, with dozens of buildings demolished between 1st and 2nd September.
Elsewhere in Zeitoun, rows of tents set up by displaced Palestinians have disappeared, with more than 1.9 million Gazans - about 90% of the population - reported displaced by the Israeli military campaign. The UN has indicated that hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals had returned to northern Gaza earlier this year after the establishment of a corridor from the south during a temporary ceasefire.
In the Tuffah neighborhood, where Israeli strikes killed at least eight people on Thursday, more buildings have been leveled. The IDF maintains that it is targeting terror infrastructure embedded within civilian structures. As the crisis unfolds, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, raising alarms from international organizations regarding the catastrophic implications of the Israeli offensive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to seize all of the strip and launch an incursion into Gaza City after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July. UN humanitarian officials have warned that the impact of a full-blown offensive would be 'beyond catastrophic'. Strikes have intensified in areas of Gaza City in recent weeks and dozens of Palestinians have been killed in attacks this week alone according to the Hamas-run health ministry and civil defense agency.
Satellite images show that significant damage has already occurred in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun, and Tuffah neighborhoods in recent weeks. The photos reveal that dozens of buildings in the city were leveled between August and September. In Sheikh Radwan - a neighborhood located about three kilometers from Gaza City center - several buildings have been wiped away. The images clearly show track marks left by Israeli armored vehicles, many of which pass through sections of the neighborhood where buildings and trees once stood.
BBC Verify also geolocated footage of an explosion that leveled dozens of high-rise buildings in the adjacent Jabalia area, mirroring similar demolitions carried out by Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Thousands of buildings in areas including Rafah and Khan Younis have been demolished by controlled explosions and demolition contractors in the area. In Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, images show four clusters of IDF armored vehicles, with dozens of buildings demolished between 1st and 2nd September.
Elsewhere in Zeitoun, rows of tents set up by displaced Palestinians have disappeared, with more than 1.9 million Gazans - about 90% of the population - reported displaced by the Israeli military campaign. The UN has indicated that hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals had returned to northern Gaza earlier this year after the establishment of a corridor from the south during a temporary ceasefire.
In the Tuffah neighborhood, where Israeli strikes killed at least eight people on Thursday, more buildings have been leveled. The IDF maintains that it is targeting terror infrastructure embedded within civilian structures. As the crisis unfolds, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, raising alarms from international organizations regarding the catastrophic implications of the Israeli offensive.
